611.939/429: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 20—10 p.m.]
1338. Embassy’s telegram 1337, December 18, 5 p.m.56 and Embassy’s despatch No. 5084 dated October 25, 1940.57
An “oral” statement dated December 17, 1940 was received yesterday from the Foreign Office in reply to our representations of October 24 relating to the Japanese interference with the fur trade in North China. A copy will go forward by open mail leaving December 23.58 The following is a brief résumé:
The statement asserts that the regulations for the “control of shipment of raw materials for light industries in North China” were put into effect primarily for the purpose of assuring supplies of these war materials to the Japanese Army and that the Japanese firms which are doing the buying are acting as purchasing agents for the army. It concludes by stating that an investigation will be made concerning the allegation that the purchase prices are improperly low and that an effort will be made to effect a favorable settlement of the matters complained of, taking into consideration the American interests involved and the needs of the Japanese Army.
Sent to the Department via Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Chungking and Peiping.
- Not printed; it reported the text of the Japanese Foreign Minister’s oral statement of December 17, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 895.↩
- Despatch not printed; for its enclosures, see notes from the American Ambassador in Japan to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, October 24 and 25, ibid., pp. 889 and 891.↩
- Not printed.↩