711.942/386: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
Tokyo, December
18, 1939—11 p.m.
[Received December 18—7:15 p.m.]
[Received December 18—7:15 p.m.]
688. My 686, December 18, 6 p.m. A separate telegram No. 687, December 18, 10 p.m.35 conveys translation of the pro memoria upon which the remarks of the Foreign Minister in our conversation today were based. Apart from the Minister’s statement, the following points were touched upon.
[Page 621]- (1)
- When the Minister divided our problem into “negative” and “positive” categories, I pointed out that there exist certain differences of opinion between our two countries involving matters of fundamental principle which might not fall within either of the two foregoing categories, as the Minister appealed [appeared?] to conceive. These basic considerations, I said, had been clearly presented in the documents left with the Minister in our meeting on November 4.
- (2)
- I have no recollection of having spoken to the Minister on November 4 of the possibility of bringing about “a speedy” reversal of public opinion in the United States.
- (3)
- After the Minister had completed his statement and I had expressed my own appreciation of the efforts which the Japanese Government is making towards improving the relations between our two countries, I conveyed to him orally, informally and fully as under instruction of my Government the Department’s reactions to the Minister’s statements made to me November 4 as presented in paragraph 4 of Department’s 392, December 8, 8 p.m.36 and with regard to claims in Department’s 390, December 8, 6 p.m.37
- This included the Department’s observation that it feels that thus far the efforts the Japanese authorities have little more than “touched the fringe of the problem”.
- (4)
- With regard to monopolies and the two “companies”, the Minister said that in order to overcome difficulties in questions of national defense it had become necessary to set up “economic blocs” between Japan, China and Manchukuo. There is, however, no intention to exclude other countries and Japan is “quite ready to welcome foreign capital”. I asked: “On a non-discriminatory basis?” The Minister replied merely that foreign participation in those enterprises would be welcome.
- (5)
- With regard to questions of currency the Minister observed that they “have to finance the army” but that these discriminations “will be modified when the fighting stops and a Chinese Government is set up.” All of these “inconveniences”, he said, will gradually be modified.
- (6)
- At the end of the conversation the Minister said “off the record” that in the interest of both our countries we must prevent the European war from spreading to the Far East and that Japanese-American conciliation will be a powerful factor in avoiding such a contingency.
Grew