711.94/217811/18
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)
Mr. Wakasugi, the Japanese Minister, called this afternoon in further reference to the desire of the Japanese Ambassador to return the Oral Statement of June 21. I told Mr. Wakasugi that I was in position to make a reply to him and that in an endeavor to avoid misunderstanding I had written out the reply. I then read to him a statement (copy attached) as follows:
[Here follows text of the statement printed infra.]
After reading the statement, I went over it again with Mr. Wakasugi. I called special attention to the last two sentences in which it was stated that this Government is seeking and is hoping to find in the attitude, utterances and acts of the Japanese Government as a whole that the Japanese Government desires and is endeavoring to follow courses of peace and rely upon methods of peace, and that [Page 514] it is the broad general question of the attitude of the Japanese Government as a whole, as manifested in utterances and acts, that necessarily concerns this Government and regarding which light is being sought.
Mr. Wakasugi said that he fully understood the statements which I had made to him. I told him that he was at liberty to make notes in regard to those statements if he so desired but he did not feel that there was need for this. He then gave me the original copy of the Oral Statement of June 21 (attached)59 which had been handed by the Secretary to the Japanese Ambassador.
Mr. Wakasugi expressed appreciation of our attitude in the matter.