Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The Far East, Volume V

740.0011 P. W./188

Memorandum by Mr. Joseph M. Jones of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs

[Washington,] March 7, 1941.

Only the first enclosure to Mr. Butler’s letter of March 3 (the enclosure dated February 15) seems to have been transmitted to the Department textually.³⁷

The account of Mr. Matsuoka’s conversation with the British Ambassador on February 20 is interesting principally in that it shows that the Japanese Government took careful note of all the developments in Washington, Australia and the Netherlands Indies which were apparently designed to indicate to Japan the firm resolution of those countries to resist further aggression. Mr. Matsuoka said that some 3,500 additional troops had been sent to Tongking but this had occurred over a fortnight ago and since then no Japanese reinforcements had been sent southward but that he was under great pressure from the Japanese military and naval authorities to despatch reinforcements to the south without delay and that unless some means were found of arresting preparations on our (the British) side he would be unable to resist those demands. The British Ambassador of course denied strongly the reasonableness of any contention that defensive measures 3,000 miles away from Japan could be a menace to Japan. The British Ambassador stated to Mr. Eden that he believed it to be true that Matsuoka was restraining the army and navy from exploiting the situation by sending large reinforcements southward. He said that the situation was much easier than it had been a week ago and that the combined firm stand by the United States, Australia, the Netherlands and the British had had a most salutary effect.

In reply on February 24 Mr. Eden said to Ambassador Craigie that he regarded Matsuoka’s representations as designed either to slow up the defensive preparations which the British have undertaken or to provide an excuse for Japanese action. He said that he did not believe for a moment that Mr. Matsuoka or the Japanese general staff had any doubt as to the significance of the moves taken by the British and that their representations were meant to serve as a smoke screen which would blind the British to the Japanese real intentions.

Ambassador Craigie’s telegram of February 26 to Mr. Eden concerns the matter of the making public in Parliament of Mr. Matsuoka’s representations. Mr. Matsuoka felt that the publication would be undesirable and Ambassador Craigie was inclined to agree.³⁸

37. Letter and enclosures not printed.
38. On March 5, in acknowledging Mr. Butler’s letter and enclosures, the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck) stated in an attached memorandum: “We are somewhat surprised at Sir Robert Craigie’s acceptance, apparently without question or challenge, of Mr. Matsuoka’s repeated affirmations to the effect that Japan has not been sending (large) reenforcements southward” Dr. Hornbeck asked: “Is there not ample evidence—and known to Sir Robert—that Japan has within recent weeks sent a substantial number of transports southward and that a substantial number of Japanese cruisers are in waters along the south coast of China and the coast of Indochina?”