793.94/9830
Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck)
The Belgian Ambassador77 called this afternoon. He asked several questions about the situation in the Far East the answers to nearly all of which have already appeared in the press. He seemed most preoccupied [Page 489] with the question whether the United States, Great Britain and France were going to take any form of collective or joint action. I explained that the Governments of these three countries have been in constant communication and have acted to greater or less extent on parallel lines, but that there has not been what is ordinarily described as “joint” action. I pointed to the fact that the American Government has gone further than has any other government in the line of public statement of attitude and policy. The Ambassador having made the observation that, in proportion to size and population, Belgium had interests at stake at least as great as those of any other country, I took advantage of the opportunity thus given to make the observation that we had begun to wonder why other governments concerned have not chosen to give utterance to their concern and their views. The Ambassador said that that was something to think about.
- Count Robert van der Straten-Ponthoz.↩