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Memorandum of a Conversation
After calling on Mr. Ballantine by appointment Mr. Terasaki67b asked if he might have a short chat with Mr. Schmidt.
Mr. Terasaki said that he had been greatly distressed by the newspaper reports of the so-called Tojo speech on November 30 and handed Mr. Schmidt a copy of the document he had previously given Mr. Ballantine (a copy is attached).68 Mr. Terasaki said that he had, immediately after noticing the press reaction in this country to the statements attributed to Premier Tojo, telegraphed to his Government deprecating remarks of that sort by the Prime Minister during the course of conversations here in Washington. Mr. Terasaki said that both he and his Government had been “flabbergasted” and went on to say that he had been greatly relieved to receive last night from Tokyo the message he had given Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Schmidt.
Stating that his remarks were confidential and off the record Mr. Terasaki said that when Mr. Kurusu had talked with Mr. Yamamoto, Chief of the American Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Office, last Sunday night and had referred to the speech which General Tojo had made, Mr. Yamamoto had been nonplused and had asked “What speech”.
[Page 778]Mr. Terasaki referred to his request to Mr. Ballantine that Mr. Ballantine inform him as to the manner in which the Department desired the Japanese explanation of General Tojo’s speech to be made public. Mr. Terasaki asked Mr. Schmidt if he would remind Mr. Ballantine to get in touch with Mr. Terasaki as soon as he had any information on this subject.