851G.014/17

Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)

Mr. Suma, Counselor of the Japanese Embassy, called at his request. He said that the Japanese Ambassador was absent in Havana where he was presenting his credentials as Japanese Minister to Cuba and that, the Ambassador being away, he had called to communicate on behalf of the Ambassador and under instruction from his Government certain information in regard to the Sinnan Islands. Mr. Suma thereupon handed me the attached paper1 in which there is described the location of the Sinnan Islands, the Japanese Government’s claim in regard to the Islands, action taken by the French Government in reference to the Islands, and the action of the Japanese Government in incorporating the Islands in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Government-General of Formosa as of March 30, 1939. Mr. Suma also handed me the attached map2 with the statement that the Japanese Embassy here had marked on the map in a red broken line a rough approximation of the area comprising the Islands. I remarked that the Sinnan Island group appeared to be very near to the Philippine Islands. I asked Mr. Suma whether he had ever been to the Islands, to which he replied in the negative. I asked him to what use the Islands could be put and he replied that they were useful chiefly by reason of their phosphate deposits.

Mr. Suma said that in reference to islands which had previously been “no State’s land” international law provided that a government desiring to acquire such land must have made known its intentions in the matter and must also have set up certain establishments on the islands. He said that the French Government had set up no establishments on the Islands.

At that moment there came to my desk the ticker report from Tokyo in which it was stated that the Japanese Foreign Office had announced today that it had advised France that Japan was annexing the Spratly Island group off the southeast coast of French Indochina. I read the news report aloud to Mr. Suma. I said that [Page 278] there seemed to be an important difference between the information contained in the news report and the information which Mr. Suma had just communicated, namely, that the news report referred to the Spratly Island group. I asked whether “Spratly” was another name for “Sinnan”. Mr. Suma replied in the negative. He said that the Sinnan Islands comprised a much larger area than Spratly Island.

I said that I understood that Mr. Suma was communicating the information set forth in the attached paper informally and for the information of the Department. He replied in the affirmative and said that his Government was doing this in view of the fact that it had as of yesterday incorporated the Sinnan Islands in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Government-General of Formosa.

I said that we would study the information communicated by Mr. Suma; and that I would bring it to the attention of higher officers of the Department.

Mr. Suma said that if there should be any further data which we would like to have he would be glad, upon request, to endeavor to obtain it.

M[axwell] M. H[amilton]
  1. Infra.
  2. Not printed.