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Memorandum by the Counselor of the American Embassy in Japan (Dooman) of a Conversation With the Director of the American Bureau of the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Yoshizawa)
I told Mr. Yoshizawa that I had come under the Ambassador’s instructions to supplement and enforce the statements which the Ambassador made to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on January 17, when presenting his note on the subject of desecration of the American flag by Japanese soldiers, illegal entry into American property, abuse of Chinese civilians, etc. There had just come in from Nanking a telegram (No. 27, January 18, 4 p.m.), which I requested Mr. Yoshizawa first to read. When he had completed reading the telegram, I said to Mr. Yoshizawa that the Ambassador was genuinely alarmed over the consequences of the actions of the Japanese forces in the field. It was our desire and intention to discuss on their legal and logical merits those questions in which were involved injury to American commercial and economic interests, but where there were involved deliberate offenses to the American flag and violations of the elementary rules of human conduct there existed no basis whatever for discussion. I was, therefore, instructed to say that we expected that, as previous instructions sent from Tokyo had been ineffective, the Japanese Government would take at once the most drastic action to restore and thereafter to maintain conditions which would not create issues of the gravest character.
Mr. Yoshizawa said that he had seen the Foreign Minister soon after his conversation on January 17 with the Ambassador; that Mr. Hirota [Page 569] had repeated to him the statements made by the Ambassador; and that he had directed Mr. Yoshizawa to translate our note in order that it might be laid before the Cabinet at its next meeting (which was held yesterday). The note had been discussed at the Cabinet meeting, and there was under consideration a plan which, it was thought, would ensure the forces in China complying with orders from Tokyo. I remarked that this plan would seem to indicate that the Japanese Government is satisfied that its orders are not being obeyed. Mr. Yoshizawa ignored my remark and went on to say that he believed that he would be in a position tomorrow to inform me of the plan under consideration.
Mr. Yoshizawa, at my suggestion, took notes of the salient features of Nanking’s telegram above-mentioned, and he said that he would get into touch with the War Office at once. It was then about 6:30 p.m., and he fortunately had an appointment with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, when he would not fail to report to Mr. Hirota the purport of the statement which I had been instructed to make.