793.94/16828
Oral Statement by the American Ambassador in Japan ( Grew ) to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs ( Matsuoka )
Reference is made to the Foreign Minister’s note of June 1846 concerning the bombing of Chungking on June 15, at which time the U. S. S. Tutuila was endangered; the Foreign Minister requested that consideration again be given to moving the vessel, in accordance with previous suggestions.
The Embassy has been instructed by its Government to state that the U. S. S. Tutuila is stationed at Chungking on official service, which the American Government considers to be not only a matter of right but also of necessity. It is of particular service to the Embassy of the United States, and it is not the intention of the Government of the United States to move it. It is, moreover, in a locality declared to be immune from aerial bombardment by responsible Japanese authorities. The American Government desires to reiterate its expectation, as conveyed to Mr. Yoshizawa (Director of the American Bureau) by Mr. Crocker47 on July 19, 1940, that strict instructions will be issued in order to prevent further jeopardy to the American Embassy and the American vessel at Chungking.