611.51G9/27
The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (Matsuoka) to the American Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
South Seas II
Excellency: I have the honor to state that I have carefully perused the contents of the Embassy’s note verbale of November 15, 1940,17 and of Your Excellency’s note no. 1714, December 17, 1940, setting forth that due chiefly to Japanese pressure brought upon the authorities of French Indo-China, American commercial firms in that country were refused permission, by the French Indo-China authorities to re-export certain merchandise belonging to them and [Page 302] protesting emphatically against such a continued and unwarranted interference.
The Imperial Government immediately instructed Japanese authorities in that area to investigate the actual circumstances of the case, as a result of which it was made clear that absolutely no unwarranted measures such as those mentioned by the American authorities were taken. The Japanese authorities interfere in no way whatsoever with the granting of permits by the Indo-China Government for the export of articles the ownership of which is determined to be American. As a matter of fact, for gasoline, permission to export to Hongkong, Manila and other places has been granted at three different times. Recently, on December 4, permission for the export to Hongkong of 16,500 drums of gasoline was given to the Standard Oil Company upon its request.
It is, however, recognized that there is much merchandise of this type which is of uncertain ownership and it is obvious that Japanese authorities should be able to seize or confiscate merchandise clearly determined to belong to the Chiang18 Government. Accordingly, the attention of Your Excellency is hereby particularly called to the fact that when American commercial firms intend to export merchandise, they will be required to produce evidence that the ownership of such merchandise is American.
I avail myself [etc.]