811.348 Z 4/63: Telegram

The Ambassador in Great Britain (Harvey) to the Secretary of State

761. Your 536, September 12, 6 p.m. Foreign Office advises me today informally that, unless I make formal request, it is unable to give me definite assurances that British representative on Conference of Ambassadors will support our claim for German dirigible and even though we make request officially it will not necessarily be granted. This decision is allegedly based on necessity of question being referred to Air Ministry. Please instruct whether I shall address Foreign Office in sense of your 536.

Although I was informed that the Foreign Office would gladly accede to our request, they frankly stated that they preferred not to make a decision unless we pressed the matter officially as they felt that Japan would object to their support of our claim. I understood from my informant that opposition by Japan is the principal obstacle to the fulfillment of our wishes.46

Repeated to Paris.

Harvey
  1. This paragraph paraphrased.