751G.92/361: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 17—3:22 p.m.]
423. 1. In conversation with my French colleague he made the significant observation that while the result of Japan’s mediation in the Thai-Indochina controversy was a great blow to Indochina it was not a fatal blow, whereas Thailand has suffered an absolutely fatal blow and to all intents and purposes has been reduced to the position of Manchukuo. It was one thing, said the Ambassador, for a colony like Indochina to undertake not to enter commitments with third countries in opposition to Japan but quite another and a far graver step to be taken by a sovereign nation. Henceforth Thailand would be definitely under the yoke of the Japanese military extremists.
[2?] As an indication of the manner in which the mediation had taken place, the Ambassador said that about the middle of February Monsieur Robin, Chief of the French Delegation, had proposed to Mr. Matsumiya, who was representing the Foreign Office, a meeting of the Thai and French delegations face to face. Matsumiya had expressed his entire concurrence in the suggestion and had agreed to arrange the meeting. Monsieur Robin had then drafted a statement of the French point of view for presentation at the proposed meeting the next day when, without previous warning, the French Delegation were suddenly summoned to the official residence of the Foreign Minister and were handed the first Japanese copy of [“]plan”.
The Ambassador’s point was that the plan had clearly been prepared by the Japanese military and that the Foreign Office had been kept in ignorance of it until within a few hours of its presentation.
3. With regard to the influx of Japanese troops into Indochina in great excess of the number agreed upon with the French Government, the Ambassador said that, when he had informed the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the facts, Matsuoka had shown the clearest evidence of ignorance, unpresuming [sic] and anger and had stated openly that if this were true Japan had become dishonored after failing to observe her pledged word.
4. The Ambassador said that a large share of responsibility for the outcome must be borne by the British Minister in Bangkok of whose activity in urging the Thai to press their extensive claims the French possessed ample evidence. Crosby, he said, had pursued “dragoman diplomacy” in seeking to turn the expansionist interests of Thailand toward Indochina and away from Malaya and the net result had been to throw Thailand directly into the future control of the Japanese military extremists.
Sent to the Department, repeated to Bangkok.