893.24/849
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador called at his request. He said that the Japanese Government would at any time declare war on Great Britain [Page 47] unless Great Britain should close the Burma road, especially to the importation of arms, ammunition, and implements of war, including gas, trucks, et cetera; that the British Government was proposing to close the road for three months to any larger volume of freight than that existing one year ago; that this latter period was during the rainy season when imports, including war supplies, were very limited and small in volume.
2. The British Government, he said, as an alternative80 would suspend the transportation of all war materials for three months. This 3-months period under the British proposal was to be devoted to an effort at a general settlement of the Japanese-Chinese situation, and apparently with British collaboration or mediation. I expressed much regret and disappointment at such a proposed course, not only on account of the blow that would result to China in the general contest with Japan, but on account of the interest this Government, engaged as it is in international commerce, has in seeing all arteries and channels of trade kept open.
- In telegram No. 572, July 12, 11 p.m. (893.24/786), the Ambassador in Japan transmitted the text of an oral statement which the British Ambassador left that afternoon with the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs. It contained the proposal set forth in this paragraph. The text of the agreement to this effect on July 17 was transmitted to the Department by the British Embassy with a note of July 20 (893.24/823).↩