Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, Japan, 1931–1941, Volume II

893.24/990

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

No. 5157

Tokyo, November 20, 1940.
[Received December 16.]

Sir: I have the honor to report that in compliance with the Department’s telegraphic instruction no. 471, November 13, 1 p.m.,¹³ via Shanghai, relating to the refusal by the French authorities of Indochina to permit certain merchandise owned by Americans to be re-exported from Indochina, I instructed Mr. Crocker, First Secretary of the Embassy, to leave with Mr. Terazaki, Chief of the American Section of the Foreign Office, on November 15, 1940, a statement marked “oral” in the sense of the Department’s instructions.

Mr. Crocker requested that the statement be regarded as coming from me to the Foreign Minister, and Mr. Terazaki accepted it with that understanding and stated that he would see that it came promptly to the Minister’s hands.

During the course of the general conversation which ensued, Mr. Terazaki expressed his concern at the present unfortunate trend in American-Japanese relations and asked in all sincerity what Mr. Crocker thought could be done to improve them. Mr. Crocker replied that Mr. Terazaki had before him in the “oral” statement one of several hundred instances in which the Japanese Government, if it sincerely valued American friendship, could take action to put an end to the almost continuous interference with legitimate American rights and interests in China and elsewhere.

A copy of the “oral” statement under reference is enclosed.

Respectfully yours,

Joseph C. Grew

[Enclosure]

Oral Statement by the American Ambassador (Grew) to the Japanese Minister for Foreign A fairs (Matsuoka)¹⁴

I am informed by our Consul at Hanoi that certain merchandise owned by American interests is being refused re-export permits from Indo-China by the Indo-Chinese authorities chieflly as a result of Japanese pressure brought upon those authorities.

Detailed information regarding such merchandise is known to the Indo-China authorities, to our Consul, and presumably to the Japanese.

I have been instructed to request that appropriate steps be taken to put an end to this unwarranted interference with the shipments of goods and merchandise owned by Americans.

13. Not printed.
14. Notation: “Left with Mr. Terazaki, Director of the American Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Office, by the American First Secretary, Mr. Crocker, November 15, 1940, as from the American Ambassador to the Minister for Foreign Affairs”.