893.102 Tientsin/661
The American Embassy in Japan to the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs9a
Pro Memoria
The United States Government has on several occasions communicated to the Japanese Government its concern over the situation which has for some time prevailed at Tientsin, particularly as relating to irksome and seemingly unwarranted restrictions placed upon American business interests and personnel in Tientsin by the Japanese military authorities in that city. On February 6, 1939, Mr. Dooman, acting on the Ambassador’s instructions, made representations in regard to this matter. Further representations thereanent were made on March 8, 1939, and on November 15, 1939, the Embassy again brought to the attention of the Imperial Japanese Government the difficulties experienced [Page 679] by American nationals and business enterprises at Tientsin, due to restrictions and regulations imposed by the Japanese authorities.
The Ambassador has now been informed that although constant endeavors have been made by the American Consul General at Tientsin to effect an improvement in the situation confronting Americans and American interests in that city by reason of the continued obstacles put in their way at the barriers to the foreign concessions, and although assistance to this end has been rendered him on various occasions by his Japanese colleague, delays to the movement of American-owned merchandise through barriers set up by the Japanese military on the borders of the British and French concessions in Tientsin have become increasingly serious during the past month. This has happened despite recent efforts made by American consular authorities to arrange locally for the quick passage of American-owned merchandise through these barriers and despite assurances from Japanese military headquarters that instructions have been issued to see that American-owned merchandise is not subjected to unreasonable delays.
Official reports which have reached the Ambassador from Tientsin set forth that barrier sentries continue to manifest a generally and perhaps increasingly hostile and uncivil attitude toward those who pass, including Americans; that the attitude of such sentries at different barriers and even at the same barrier at different times varies greatly; that at certain barriers they uniformly demand that bearers of passes advance on foot to present them; and that searches of cars and baggage are general. Recently an American lady bearing a special pass exempting her from the necessity of passing through the searching shed was subjected to long delay and involved in an unpleasant altercation at the International Bridge, because she declined to alight from her car, and was allowed to pass only after the officer in command of the barrier guard had seized her pass, which he retained. On April 17 an American lady living at the installation of the Texas Company in the former Belgian concession was compelled to alight from her car at a barrier on Nikolai Road and to walk some hundred yards past a group of Japanese soldiers—in her opinion, for the amusement of those soldiers. Sentries have refused entry into the concessions of a shipment of cloth owned by an American firm, and have objected to passing small parcels of cloth in personal baggage, although, so far as the Embassy is informed, they have eventually passed the latter after much delay and a trip to a second barrier. Even after permission to pass has been given, sentries frequently stand motionless in the narrow barrier openings, making it extremely difficult for automobiles, including that of the American Consul General in that city, to work their way through, and entirely ignoring the cars and their occupants even when addressed politely in Japanese.
Recent oral and written representations of the Consul General to his [Page 680] Japanese colleague in regard to these matters have received no written reply.
In view of the aggravation of this situation, the Ambassador has been instructed to approach the Imperial Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to point out emphatically that the long-continued and unlawful interference by Japanese armed forces and their agencies with the movement of American citizens and of American-owned merchandise at Tientsin has been the subject of repeated conversations between American and Japanese officials, but without cessation of such interference. It seems obvious under the circumstances that further instructions from Tokyo to the Japanese armed forces at Tientsin will be required to effect an improvement in the situation, and Mr. Grew accordingly ventures to request that such instructions be sent.
- Handed on April 23, 1940, by the American Ambassador in Japan to the Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (Tani).↩