800.79611 Pangborn-Herndon Flight/148
The American Ambassador in Japan (Forbes) to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (Shidehara)9
Excellency: I fully realize the difficulties which confront the Japanese Government in granting permission for the proposed flight of Messrs. Pangborn and Herndon.
It is, however, the desire of my Government that permission be granted to these two aviators, and in view of the fact that Messrs. Pangborn and Herndon are desirous of being the first to accomplish a trans-Pacific non-stop flight, may I express the hope that they be given the desired permit as an exceptional measure which will not [Page 1055] set up any precedent for the future. Such flight, if accomplished, would be epoch-making and would serve in the promotion and development of international air navigation.
I repeat the assurance made previously that the Embassy will do all in its power to prevent in future any infraction of law such as that which occurred during the flight of these two aviators from Habarovsk to Tokyo last August.
I avail myself [etc.]
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in Japan in his despatch No. 334, September 25; received October 10.↩