711.94/315
Memorandum of the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs of the Department of State (MacMurray)
Mr. Debuchi9 called on me yesterday to speak on the “Picture Bride” question and the Tientsin incident.10
In relation to the first of these questions, he stated simply that he wished informally to advise me that Ambassador Shidehara had telegraphed to the Japanese Government the suggestion that that Government should take some overt step in the matter which would enable us to counteract any anti-Japanese agitation by an assurance that the Japanese had themselves taken action to terminate any abuse [Page 419] of the so-called “Gentlemen’s Agreement” on this score. He also stated that the Ambassador had simultaneously telegraphed the substance of a personal letter in which I had outlined to Mr. Debuchi the viewpoint of those who are agitating against the immigration of “Picture Brides”.
Referring to this same personal letter, Mr. Debuchi told me that in a spirit of reciprocity, and with the same purpose of making unofficially available the other side of the argument, he would leave with me the attached memorandum11 in the form of statistical tables prepared by the Japanese Association of California. He said that the Embassy had been assured by the Japanese Association that these tables were based upon official data supplied by the American Immigration authorities in California, but that the Embassy did not vouch for their accuracy.