793.94/8896: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 21—11:10 a.m.]
219. 1. An officer of the Military Affairs Bureau, who has been fairly cordial and informative, today told our Military Attaché that a conversation yesterday between Suma and an officer of the State Department in Washington65 showed the United States lack of understanding of the North China situation and indicated our pro-Chinese attitude.
2. He then repeated the explanation of Japan’s aims as previously reported and ended with the statement that the only progress so far in the execution of the 29th Army’s agreement was General Sung’s apology and that the execution of the other terms of the agreement was being retarded by pressure on General Sung by the Central Government. He admitted that Central Government troop movements and dispositions do not indicate that that Government expects war. While not hopeless the present situation is more difficult than heretofore in this officer’s opinion. He ended by stating that he could no longer see our Military Attaché every day.
Repeated to Peiping.
- See memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs, July 19, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 328.↩