File No. 763.72/1351
The Ambassador in Japan (Guthrie) to the Secretary of State
Tokyo, December 7, 1914.
[Received December 30.]
No. 164]
Sir: The Department’s telegram of December 1 6 p.m.,1 having transmitted an inquiry from the German Government concerning press reports that one of the German islands in the Pacific occupied by the Japanese had been handed over to Australia for administration, I called upon the British Ambassador, Sir Conyngham Greene, and asked him if he cared to make any communication on which a reply might be framed.
He assured me of his willingness to give to me personally information on the subject, but said that he felt it would not be proper to give it for transmission to Berlin. As this was the case, I requested him not to tell it to me personally as the information might be a cause of embarrassment to me. He expressed the opinion that while the German inquiry was couched as an inquiry regarding the prisoners of war, the form was simply a cover.
While I was with him he received a cable from the Foreign Office in London asking him to ascertain from me what statement Baron Kato had made to me as to Japan’s purposes, at the time she had served the ultimatum on Germany. I told him my recollection of what Baron Kato had said, and he told me that it corresponded with what had been said to him and had been reported by him to his Foreign Office. Later I confirmed my recollection by referring to my confidential telegram to the Department of August 15, 12 p.m.,2 and sent him, by Mr. Wheeler, the following memorandum, which he read and returned by the bearer.
memorandum
On August 15, 1914, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs handed the American Ambassador a statement regarding the Japanese ultimatum to Germany.
In doing so he expressed verbally a strong desire to perpetuate the friendship between Japan and the United States, requesting the American Ambassador to impress upon the Government at Washington as strongly as possible, that in taking the present action, Japan was not animated by any selfish purpose but was acting strictly in pursuance of the alliance with Great Britain, would not seek any territorial aggrandizement for selfish advantage in China, and would carefully respect all neutral interests.
I have [etc.]