Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, Japan, 1931–1941, Volume II
762.94/122
The Chargé in Japan (Dickover) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s telegram No. 241 of November 25, 7 p.m.,1 regarding the German-Japanese Agreement for co-operation against the Communist International and to enclose copies of the “unofficial translation” in English of the Agreement, which has been compared by the Embassy with the original Japanese text and found to be substantially correct.
There is also enclosed an “unofficial translation” of a statement issued by the Foreign Office in regard to the Agreement which was given out at the same time, as well as a memorandum of a conversation which I had with Mr. Horinouchi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the subject.
The Embassy will submit a further report on this subject after it has had an opportunity to study the Agreement and the local reactions to it.
Respectfully yours,
Agreement and Supplementary Protocol Between Japan and Germany, Signed at Berlin, November 25, 1936
Agreement Guarding Against the Communistic International
The Imperial Government of Japan and the Government of Germany,
In cognizance of the fact that the object of the Communistic International (the so-called Komintern) is the disintegration of, and the commission of violence against, existing States by the exercise of all means at its command,
Believing that the toleration of interference by the Communistic International in the internal affairs of nations not only endangers their internal peace and social welfare, but threatens the general peace of the world,
[Page 154]Desiring to co-operate for defence against communistic disintegration, have agreed as follows:
Article I
The High Contracting States agree that they will mutually keep each other informed concerning the activities of the Communistic International, will confer upon the necessary measures of defence, and will carry out such measures in close co-operation.
Article II
The High Contracting States will jointly invite third States whose internal peace is menaced by the disintegrating work of the Communistic International, to adopt defensive measures in the spirit of the present Agreement or to participate in the present Agreement.
Article III
The Japanese and German texts are each valid as the original text of this Agreement. The Agreement shall come into force on the day of its signature and shall remain in force for the term of five years. The High Contracting States will, in a reasonable time before the expiration of the said term, come to an understanding upon the further manner of their co-operation.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorized by their respective Governments, have affixed hereto their seals and signatures.
[seal] (Signed)
Imperial Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
[seal] (Signed)
German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Supplementary Protocol to the Agreement Guarding Against the Communistic International
On the occasion of the signature this day of the Agreement guarding against the Communistic International the undersigned plenipotentiaries have agreed as follows:
- a)
- The competent authorities of both High Contracting States will closely co-operate in the exchange of reports on the activities of the Communistic International and on measures of information and defence against the Communistic International.
- b)
- The competent authorities of both High Contracting States will, within the framework of the existing law, take stringent measures against those who at home or abroad work on direct or indirect duty of the Communistic International or assist its disintegrating activities.
- c)
- To facilitate the co-operation of the competent authorities of the two High Contracting States as set out in a) above, a standing committee shall be established. By this committee the further measures to be adopted in order to counter the disintegrating activities of the Communistic International shall be considered and conferred upon.
(Signed)
Imperial Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
(Signed)
German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Statement by the Japanese Foreign Office
The Foreign Office issued the following statement at 10:00 p.m. November 25, 1936, on the Japanese-German Agreement and the Supplementary Protocol guarding against the Communist International.
(1) Ever since its establishment the Communist International, or the so-called Comintern, with its headquarters at Moscow, for the purpose of destroying the national and social structures in every country in pursuance of its fundamental policy of world revolution, has been engaged in all sorts of activities, greatly menacing the peace of the world. At its Seventh Congress held in the summer of last year, the Comintern decided upon a policy of organizing a unified front with the Second International to oppose Fascism and imperialism, and at the same time made it plain that the future objectives of Comintern activities were to be Japan, Germany and Poland, etc.; and it further resolved to support the Chinese communist armies in order to fight Japan. The actual operations carried on subsequently by the Comintern have become extremely ingenious, rendering them all the more dangerous. As to the extent to which the Comintern interferes with the internal affairs of all countries and exerts baneful influences on the well-being of the nations and the peace of the [Page 156] world, a glance at the present disturbances in Spain will be sufficient to convince anybody of its magnitude. At least those countries which lodged protests with the Government of the Soviet Union at the time of the Comintern Congress must certainly have full cognizance of the harmfulness of Comintern activities.
(2) The communist invasion has hitherto been more marked in the Orient, especially in China. The Outer Mongolia and Sinkiang have already suffered from its calamitous effects while China Proper is now being subjected to the depredations of the communist armies. The activities of the Comintern in China have, as a matter of fact, notably increased in vigor since its Seventh Congress.
In Manchukuo, also, the Comintern has been surreptitiously endeavoring through the Manchurian District Committee of the Chinese Communist Party to organize cells, to win over and instigate the bandits, and to direct the raids by partisan troops all over the country.
In Japan, the extreme Leftist movement temporarily showed signs of decline after the Manchurian Incident. But since the Seventh Congress of the Comintern, the movement has again become energetic. It has crept into the channels of lawful agitation in conformance with the resolution of that Congress, and has launched a unified front movement to make it a basis for the revival of the communist movement.
(3) The Japanese Government, who, in order to safeguard Japan’s immutable national polity and insure the national security, and to maintain an everlasting peace in East Asia have pursued a clear-cut and consistent policy toward the Comintern, find it necessary to take more rigorous measures of self-defense against its increased menace as stated above. The organization and the activities of the Comintern being of an international character, any program of counter action should necessarily be based upon international cooperation. Now Germany, ever since the establishment of the present regime in 1933, has put into execution drastic anti-communist policies. Last year at the Seventh Congress of the Comintern she was selected together with Japan as a special objective of Comintern operations. Thus Japan and Germany are placed in similar circumstances vis-a-vis the Comintern. Consequently the Japanese Government as the first step of their defensive undertaking conducted negotiations with Germany and concluded an agreement on November 25 to take effect immediately.
(4) This agreement, the fundamental object of which is common defense against the destructive operations of the Comintern, contains provisions for the exchange of information regarding Comintern activities, for the consultation on, and the execution of, defensive [Page 157] measures and for the extension of joint invitations to third Powers. There is, besides, a supplementary Protocol stipulating in concrete terms the manners of executing the present agreement.
(5) The Japanese Government are desirous of co-operating with as many Powers as possible for the purpose of perfecting their defensive measures against the Comintern menace, but for that purpose alone. It should be pointed out that in connection with, or behind, this agreement there exists no special agreement whatsoever, and that the Japanese Government have no intention to form, or join in, any special international bloc, for any other purpose and finally that the present agreement is not directed against the Soviet Union or any other specific country.
Memorandum by the American Chargé in Japan (Dickover) of a Conversation With the Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (Horinouchi)
I called on Mr. Horinouchi at the official residence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs at 5 o’clock at Mr. Horinouchi’s request. After the usual greetings Mr. Horinouchi stated that there were many rumors in Tokyo and in the press abroad regarding a German-Japanese agreement—some said a German-Japanese military alliance. Because of these rumors he wished to tell me the facts as they stand at present. He then said that at the last general meeting of the Comintern Japan, as well as Germany and the United States, had been specified by the Comintern as countries against which that organization should direct its activities. As was well known, Japan did not like and was opposed to communistic doctrines and has always defended Japan against the spread of communism. Recently, moreover, the activities of the Comintern apparently have not been directed as much against countries in Europe as against countries in Asia, particularly against China, India, and Manchuria. Now that the activities of the Comintern have assumed an international scope the Japanese Government has adopted the policy that international defense against the activities of the Comintern should be taken by the countries threatened by those activities.
For the reasons which he had just stated, the Vice Minister went on, the Japanese Government has been holding conversations with the German Government during recent months. These conversations have resulted in an agreement. The Vice Minister then gave me the following summary of the German-Japanese agreement: [Page 158]
“The exchange of information in regard to the activities of the Comintern and consultations in regard to defensive measures, as well as provisions for extending joint invitations to third powers, are provided for by the agreement. Concrete provisions concerning the carrying out of the agreement mentioned above, the manner of cooperation between the authorities of the two high contracting parties, the steps to be taken against persons connected with the Comintern, and the establishment of a standing committee, are embodied in a Supplementary Protocol.”
The Vice Minister stated that the agreement would probably be concluded sometime during this week and upon conclusion would be published. I asked if the protocol as well as the main agreement would be published. The Vice Minister said that it would.
The Vice Minister went on to say that the agreement was not directed against any particular power. Moreover, he said, the Japanese Government had no intention of permitting the agreement to draw Japan into European politics and Japan had no intention of joining any bloc of nations—for instance any bloc such as a fascist bloc.
I remarked that rumors were current in diplomatic circles in Tokyo to the effect that the agreement included some secret trade or military clause. Mr. Horinouchi immediately said that the agreement was not an alliance and that no secret military or economic arrangement of any kind was included in the agreement.
Mr. Horinouchi then said that he was giving this information about the German-Japanese agreement only to the American and to the British Governments. He said that the British Ambassador, Sir Robert Clive, had informed the Foreign Office that questions had been asked in the House of Commons in regard to the rumors of a German-Japanese agreement and that, for that reason, the Foreign Office had informed the British Ambassador in regard to the agreement. He proceeded to state that the Japanese Government greatly valued its friendship with the American Government and did not wish that any misunderstanding should arise, and consequently he had decided to give the same information to the American Government. I thanked Mr. Horinouchi for the information, which I said I knew would be greatly appreciated by my Government, especially in view of the many conflicting and probably exaggerated press reports which were reaching the United States.
Mr. Horinouchi said that, as the information regarding an agreement was being given only to the above two governments, he had to request that it be kept strictly confidential for the time being. Before the agreement was given to the newspapers, however, he would give me a complete text for transmission to my Government.
- Not printed.↩