611.51G9/22
The American Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (Matsuoka)
Excellency: I have the honor to invite the attention of Your Excellency to the fact that on November 15 an oral statement was left with Mr. Terazaki as from the American Ambassador to the Minister for Foreign Affairs stating that, according to information from the American Consul at Hanoi, certain merchandise owned by American interests was being refused re-export permits from Indochina by the Indochinese authorities, chiefly as a result of Japanese pressure brought upon those authorities.
On November 30, in a conversation with Your Excellency, I made further representations in this matter, repeating those made on November 15.
It was requested on both occasions that appropriate steps be taken to put an end to this unwarranted interference with the shipments of goods and merchandise owned by Americans.
I am constrained to observe to Your Excellency that, to date, there has been no alleviation of this condition. In fact, it has been learned that, save under certain special conditions which are [Page 300] unnamed, no cargo can be re-exported from Indochina, and there are indications that envisage either permitting cargo to be sold locally by the owners or requisitioning such cargo as is needed for Indochina. There is no guarantee that the proceeds of the sale or requisition may be converted into foreign exchange and, in any event, the foregoing practice would amount to a forced sale.
Acting under instructions from my Government, I have the honor emphatically to protest this continued and unwarranted interference with the shipment of goods and merchandise owned by Americans.
I avail myself [etc.]