611.51G9/34
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 Your Excellency’s note No. 1732, January 24, 1941, reporting that the Government of the United States cannot admit the right of the Imperial Army in French Indochina to engage in procedures of confiscation, or to require evidence to be produced that merchandise to be exported by an American firm is of American ownership, or to take similar actions.
The Japanese authorities, however, do not carry out indiscriminate confiscation of all merchandise. Those authorities, with the understanding of the authorities of French Indochina, seize or confiscate as enemy property only merchandise the ownership of which rests clearly with the Chiang Government. It is therefore natural that if a concerned party claims the right of ownership, he should produce evidence of such ownership. If the evidence is not produced, it must be regarded that the matter is left to the Japanese authorities to be determined on the basis of their independent examination.
I hereby have to inform Your Excellency not only that the Imperial Government finds it difficult to regard the action taken by Japanese authorities in French Indochina as an unjust one, but also that such action must be regarded as a normal measure taken by the Japanese Army whose advance into French Indochina was carried out as a strategical move against Chiang Kai-shek and for the purpose of suppressing all activities aiding Chiang.
I avail myself [etc.]