711.94/217815/18
Memorandum of a Conversation
Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Ballantine called on the Japanese Ambassador by appointment made at their request.
Mr. Hamilton said that we had called at the direction of the Secretary who had wished us to express his regrets that being under doctor’s orders he had been unable to see the Japanese Ambassador the previous day when the Ambassador had called at the Secretary’s hotel in White Sulphur Springs. Mr. Hamilton also said that the Secretary had asked us to inform the Ambassador that we desired to place ourselves at the Ambassador’s disposal for conveying to the Secretary any new impressions or views that the Ambassador might have in mind to communicate.
The Ambassador said that he had seen Mr. Gray56 at the Greenbrier [Page 506] Hotel and had asked Mr. Gray to mention to the Secretary that the Ambassador had received instructions from the Minister for Foreign Affairs to say that there was no divergence in views among the important Government leaders, including the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of War, Navy, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, in regard to the desire to improve relations with the United States.
Mr. Hamilton remarked that we had not raised any question on that point, but that what the Secretary had had in mind in his oral statement of June 21 was evidence which had come to us that there were important elements in the Japanese Government which supported a policy inconsistent with the policy of peace which is the underlying purpose of the proposed understanding with the United States. Mr. Hamilton said that the Secretary also had in mind the question whether the Japanese Government was willing to assert control over those elements in such a way as to ensure the Government’s pursuing in the future a policy of peace.
The Ambassador said the Secretary had previously mentioned that aspect of the situation and that while there might be reports circulated in diplomatic circles in Tokyo to the effect that there were differences of opinion on policy in the Japanese Government he (the Ambassador) believed that the Japanese Government as a whole was in favor of a policy of peace.
As the Ambassador did not indicate that he had anything further to impart to us, we took our leave after a few minutes of general conversation. More than once in the course of the conversation the Ambassador expressed his appreciation of the Secretary’s action in asking us to call on the Ambassador.
- Cecil W. Gray, Assistant to the Secretary.↩