751G.94/384: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Paraphrase]
Tokyo, September 30, 1941—3
p.m.
[Received September 30—1:41 p.m.]
[Received September 30—1:41 p.m.]
1542. From a non-Japanese source of the highest authority the Embassy has been informed as follows in regard to the attitude and behavior of Japan’s armed forces in French Indochina:
- (1)
- The Japanese military command presented a number of demands to the Governor General about 10 days ago, asking that certain airfields in Cambodia and French military barracks in various parts of Indochina be transferred to Japanese armed forces. A number of Chinese, alleged to be secret agents of Chinese Government, have also been arrested by the Japanese. The military accompanied their demands for the transfer of airfields and barracks by a threat to take possession of them forcibly if the French authorities failed to return a favorable reply before September 27, noon. Vigorous representations regarding the matter were made by the French Embassy here. Officials of the Japanese Foreign Office emphasized that although the attitude of the Japanese military authorities in French Indochina was not approved by the Government, the latter was not in a position to intervene. In view of the Japanese Government’s wholly negative attitude, the Governor General of Indochina replied affirmatively to the Japanese military command before expiration of the time limit stated.
- (2)
- My informant said that officials of the Japanese Foreign Office with whom he had talked very recently, had vaguely hinted to him that the Japanese military authorities in French Indochina were endeavoring to prejudice the success of the conversations reported as taking place between the Governments of the United States and Japan.
Grew