893.113/1166
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the German Ambassador (Prittwitz)
The Ambassador called to inquire as to the arms embargo in China. He said that the German government was anxious to follow our lead in the matter and he wondered if any change had taken place in our policy with regard to the maintenance of our embargo. I told him that so far as I was aware no change had yet taken place; that the embargo was originally agreed upon with general [Page 527] unanimity and that while some countries were beginning to feel in view of the fact that certain countries like Russia were left free and were furnishing the parties in China with arms that therefore the embargo was of little use, yet Japan was very strongly in favor of its maintenance and that therefore we had taken no step to abrogate it. He said that they had a law in Germany fixing the embargo which would expire pretty soon; but that if that expired the President might continue it. I suggested that the President if he continued it, might continue it subject to its being abrogated on short notice, say one month, which would leave Germany in so flexible a position as not to be interfered with in case the others should decide to abrogate. He agreed.