711.94/1363

Memorandum by the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)

I held today with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the first important conversation since returning from leave of absence, an interview which had been delayed owing to the recent troubles in the Foreign Office. Our conversation today lasted an hour. I spoke to the Minister in English but he himself spoke through Mr. Okumura, as interpreter.

The Minister opened the conversation by expressing regrets for the delay in receiving me on the ground that he had only recently taken office and had had to familiarize himself with some of the problems thereof. He said he knew what I had done during the past seven years in the interests of Japanese-American relations and of the report of my recent visit in the United States as expressed in my speech of October 19 before the America-Japan Society. He said that he fully shares my desire for better relations between our two countries. Both sides must have full appreciation of the standpoint and views of each other, an action which of course applies to all international relations. Both Japan and the United States are stabilizing factors in their respective regions and both wish to remain away from the disastrous effects of the war.

The Minister referred to my last brief talk with him and said he fully shared my views that informal conversations were better and more effective than the writing of official documents. I said immediately that this represented my own feeling as I had already told him but of course he must realize that notes sometimes had to be written apart from conversations and that I might still have to write many notes in future but that I would always try to limit them to a minimum.

The Minister then said that our views were already partially known to him through the various notes we had written to his predecessors and from my speech before the America-Japan Society but that he would now be glad to listen to what I had to say.

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In opening my side of the conversation I said that wishing to present the American point of view as clearly and concretely as possible I had prepared three manuscripts which I would leave with the Minister not as official documents but as informal papers and I requested him to be good enough to read them carefully because they would give him in fairly concentrated form a clear picture of the situation as its exists between our two countries. These manuscripts are:20

(1)
A chronological statement of the Embassy’s written representations to the Japanese Government since the commencement of the present hostilities in China showing which of these representations have been answered and which have not been answered.
(2)
A series of excerpts from memoranda of some of my conversations with the Minister’s predecessors, showing the representations made and the assurances repeatedly given that American rights and interests in China would be respected.
(3)
Certain passages from the original draft of my speech before the America-Japan Society on October 19 which had been omitted from the speech.

With regard to the first paper, I said that this list does not necessarily present a complete accounting of instances in which American citizens or American rights or interests have suffered interference, discrimination, indignities or damage as a result of Japanese activities. The recapitulation shows that of 382 written representations made, 256 have not been acknowledged. I pointed out to the Minister that not all or many of the 116 replies received could be regarded by us as satisfactory. In the case of 10 representations, replies were not necessarily required.

With regard to the second paper, I asked the Minister to observe the specific assurances which had been given me by his predecessors that American rights and interests in China would be respected, assurances which are not being carried out in practice.

With regard to the third paper, I said that the material therein included embraced statements which were contained in the original draft of my speech before the American-Japan Society on October 19 but that I had omitted those statements from the speech with a view to avoiding any possible embarrassment to His Excellency or to the Japanese Government. Those statements were however important as specifying and clarifying some of the difficulties existing between the United States and Japan. I also pointed out that I had carefully avoided giving to the press the text of the speech as actually delivered until the Foreign Office itself had asked me to release the text to the press. The Minister acknowledged this point with a smile and a nod.

I then said that in my opinion the coming months might be critical in Japanese-American relations. There is at present in the United [Page 33] States a strong demand for an embargo against Japan when our Treaty of 1911 expires next winter and it is my earnest hope that steps will be taken by Japan which will relieve this pressure of public opinion. I said that I desired to make it perfectly clear that I was presenting certain objective facts and that no other implication should be drawn from my remarks. I was not used to what might be called the old-school diplomacy and believed that perfect frankness in such conversations as the present one was highly desirable in the interests of both sides. (Neither the substance nor the tone of my remarks conveyed any threat whatsoever and there was no indication that the Minister took my remarks as a threat). I said that certain fundamental differences between our two countries would presumably some day have to be faced but I felt that the first thing to do was to clear the atmosphere. For this purpose, in my opinion, two things were necessary: first, cessation of the bombings, indignities and more flagrant interferences with American rights and interests in China which were causes of current irritation in the United States; second, some step or steps of a positive nature which would convince the American Government and people by concrete evidence that Japan intends to improve our relations. In this connection I mentioned the opening of the Yangtze River to American navigation as the sort of positive step I had in mind.

In reply to this presentation the Minister said that there appears to be a misunderstanding on the part of the United States that Japan intends to drive American interests out of China. I replied that quite apart from any future intention the fact remains that American interests are being driven out of China. The Minister observed that American assistance in the reconstruction of China is going to be absolutely indispensable.

The Minister requested us to bear in mind the following points:

a.
Japan is engaged in warfare on a scale unprecedented in Japanese history and great stakes including the expense of many lives and much treasure are involved. Japan’s paramount object is to convert an anti-Japanese China into a China sympathetic to Japan. In the Minister’s personal opinion Japan and China must live in good neighborhood and prosper in a common way. If third powers help China to antagonize Japan, stabilization will be impossible.
b.
The Minister expressed the hope that the United States will give better appreciation of the extent to which the Japanese authorities in China are endeavoring to protect American property in China. They are doing their best under abnormal and difficult conditions. The United States is evidently not satisfied but the Minister hopes to give concrete facts of the care taken. This referred to bombings and other encroachments. I mentioned the subject of Japanese monopolies. The Minister said he thought that such monopolies were set up purely for purposes of price control.

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At the end of the conversation the Minister said that he was now discussing these various matters with his colleagues in the Cabinet and with the Prime Minister.

We then agreed on a communiqué to the Japanese press stating simply in effect that we had explored the field of Japanese-American relations in a mutually constructive spirit. He however authorized me to tell the American press correspondents that I had presented the American point of view in general and in detail. This was done.

At no point in the conversation was the question of negotiating a new treaty between the United States and Japan touched upon either by the Minister or myself.

The atmosphere of the conversation was excellent and at the end of the official exchanges of views the Minister and I indulged in pleasant personal reminiscences.

Joseph C. Grew
  1. None printed.