Office of the Historian

861.77/1128: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Morris) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, October 5, 1919, 5 p.m.
[Received 5:55 p.m.]

I conferred yesterday afternoon with Viscount Uchida, Shidehara36 and Hanihara37 on our Government’s note in regard to cooperation in Siberia. I reviewed the developments from the time of my informal talks with General Tanaka last spring, which resulted in the exchange with the Foreign Office of the memoranda of June 2d38 and June 9th;39 I stated my personal observations in Siberia and my reports to the Department; I showed them copies of General Takayanagi’s statement to me at Omsk, General Otani’s letter to the Inter-Allied Committee dated August 15,40 the report of the exchange of views with General Oi and the order subsequently issued by him. I then asked them with these to read over with me [Page 586] our Government’s note so they might more fully appreciate that the question was not one of specific incidents of misunderstanding but as I viewed it a fundamental difference of interpretation and consequently of policy and practice. I concluded by expressing my opinion that such a radical difference made real co-operation impossible and might at any time result in some local incident which would seriously threaten the friendship of our countries.

All three listened intently but made few comments and asked few questions. … In leaving I told them I hoped they would compare my statements with their own information, that I would welcome any facts which might indicate that I had been mistaken in my observations or conclusions. I gathered the general impression that the Foreign Office was ignorant of what had been going on in Siberia and that when the note was received they were simply bewildered. I hope that my talk yesterday will clear up meaning and cause of the note.

I have learned since returning that Oi’s actions at Vladivostok were inspired by Tanaka after the receipt of our Government’s note. I am informed that the Japanese General Staff is also responsible for the publicity just given to the negotiations. This has greatly embarrassed the Foreign Office. Sharkey of the Associated Press also received full information from some confidential source which he is not at liberty to name.

Morris
  1. Kijuro Shidehara, Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Nov. 3, 1919, Ambassador to the United States.↩
  2. Masanao Hanihara, director of political affairs, Japanese Foreign Office.↩
  3. Ante, p. 564, and footnote 13, same page.↩
  4. Probably June 7 is intended; see the Ambassador’s telegram of that date, p. 563.↩
  5. See telegram from the Consul at Vladivostok, Aug. 21, 10 a.m., p. 572.↩