740.0011 European War 1939/14615
Oral Statement Handed by the American Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ohashi) on July 16, 1941
In the communication handed to me by His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs at the request of His Excellency the Prime Minister, Prince Fumimaro Konoye, for delivery to the President of the [Page 510] United States dated July 7, 1941, the request was made, “incidentally, the Japanese Government would like to avail themselves of this opportunity for definitely ascertaining whether it is really the intention of the President or the American Government to intervene in the European war as they are naturally and very deeply concerned at the prospect, disturbed as they sincerely are, by reports reaching them from a variety of sources.”
In reply to the foregoing request of the Japanese Government, I am instructed by my Government to state that the attitude of the United States in the face of movement which the utterances and acts of the leaders of Nazi Germany have made abundantly clear is directed toward conquest of the world by force, is based on the inalienable right of self-defense in pursuance of which the United States will of course and of necessity take such measures of self-defense as may be deemed necessary in order to resist this movement. Such measures of self-defense and protection as may be adopted in conformity with this policy will be determined by the acts of aggression which may be taken or which are likely to be taken by the aggressor nations.
Inasmuch as the policy of the United States is based upon the necessity of protecting its own security in the face of the clearly revealed plan of the aggressor nations for world conquest information as to what future steps of aggression may be contemplated by those countries would assist the Japanese Government in reaching an estimate as to what steps of self-defense the Government of the United States may be forced to take in order to safeguard its own security in the future. It should be obvious that in the light of the experience of some fifteen countries in Europe which were given categoric assurances by the leaders of Germany that their security and territorial integrity would not be molested it would be suicidal and absurd of the American Government to neglect any reasonable precaution necessary to insure the present or future security of the United States.
It can hardly be expected therefore that the United States Government will stand idly by and permit Germany to obtain control of the seas or any other strategic advantages which would directly threaten the security of the United States. Any intimations or suggestions that the United States should desist from its policy of self-defense and protection would in actual fact range those making such suggestions or intimations on the side of those favoring or facilitating the aims of the aggressor nations to conquer the world by force.