711.94/316
Memorandum of the Third Assistant Secretary of State (Long)
Mr. Debuchi called today and alluded to the conversation between the Japanese Ambassador and the Secretary of State on yesterday. He said that it was their understanding that the settlement of the “Picture Bride” question had no relation whatever to the stopping of Anti-Japanese activity. I told him that that was our understanding, [Page 420] and that we had not in any way connected the two. He said that he hoped no further announcement would be made by the Department of State,15 and that certainly none would be made which would connect the two. I told him that we had no intention of making any further announcement.
He said that the Ambassador had cabled my suggestion that they should stop issuing “picture brides” passports earlier than February 29th, but that his Government had replied to the effect that it was impracticable to stop the practice sooner but that they would take every reasonable step to prevent “picture brides” coming to the United States in any quantity after the first of July, and that they expected there would be very few because of the custom amongst the brides to leave within one or two months after they received their passports.
- The Ambassador’s memorandum of Dec. 13, supra, was given to the press on Dec. 20.↩