751G.84/118
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the French Ambassador (Henry-Haye)
The Ambassador called attention to a cable he had received on September seventh from Vichy, which, according to him, made it definite that the Government of Indochina had agreed to negotiate with the Japanese relative to a right of way for Japanese military purposes through Indochina and the right to station a Japanese command there for guard purposes. I said that this was another one of several occurrences which caused the American people to think that the French Government at Vichy was not keeping up those extremely important relations between our two countries as heretofore; that the Government of the United States had contested in every way short of military activities every inch of the Japanese movement of aggression, which is intended to cover every square foot of land and sea from Hawaii to Siam for the purpose of the most drastic military, political and economic domination on the sole theory of enriching Japan and Japanese citizens at the expense of the natives everywhere, while all foreign nationals would be driven out and could only return to the Pacific area by paying sky-scraping preferences wherever a preference would be of any value to the Japanese interests; that this invasion contemplates the destruction of all international law, treaty obligations, sovereignty [Page 107] of other nations and liberty of their citizens, together with Japanese economic and financial monopolies of any and all kinds, as well. It was in these circumstances, while the United States was thus denying the right of Japan to assert such domination and insisting on the principle of equality in all commercial, industrial and other worthwhile relationships among nations, that the French Government in Indochina, presumably under the direction of the Government at Vichy, has taken the opposite position as to these principles and doctrines and freely conceded to Japan superior and exclusive influence and control in the Pacific area and preferences of all kinds such as must be combated unless two or three nations are to monopolize the world economic and political situation; that to clinch this position the French Government in Indochina agreed to negotiate away the broadest and most vital phase of our contention and our opposition to Japanese intervention in such countries as Indochina, the Netherlands East Indies, et al; that a few weeks ago Japan had solemnly pledged to keep the status quo with respect to all these areas, and the French Government cannot imagine our surprise and disappointment when it took this step without any notice whatever to us.
The Ambassador repeatedly assured me that he would take this matter up at once with his Government, but, of course, it would seem now to be too late.