793.94/1994
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
I sent for the Japanese Ambassador. When he came he told me first that he had decided to stay longer here because, although it was very inconvenient to him, he felt that it was important that he should be here. I thanked him and said that I was considering sending Mr. Forbes back at once to Tokyo, but that he could not arrive for a month and in the meanwhile I should be very glad to have Mr. Debuchi here.
I told the Ambassador that I had received some messages, all of them from my own people, which I thought would be of interest to his government. I told him that Consul General Myers was now back in Mukden and one of these messages was from him. I pointed out to him how I had under close observation these autonomous outbreaks in Manchuria because the Chinese were making accusations that these were instigated by the Japanese. I told him that Myers had now cabled me that the Governor of the Province of Liaoning, of which Mukden is the capital, is being detained by the Japanese although they could if they wished turn over the Government to him. The Ambassador replied that he had been officially informed by his government that no important Chinese officials were under detention and he thought this statement must be incorrect, but he would at once inform Baron Shidehara.
I then told the Ambassador that I had received a long cable from Minister Johnson in China in which he reported a conference which the American Consul General at Nanking had had with Mr. T. V. Soong, during which Soong had expressed the opinion that he thought China would treat directly with Japan if all Japanese troops were withdrawn to the railway zone.
I then said that Mr. Johnson himself reported that he had been visited by Mr. Frank W. Lee, the present Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, at which time Mr. Lee had made the same suggestion: namely, that China was willing to commence direct negotiations with Japan but that the withdrawal of the Japanese troops to the railway area was a prerequisite condition. Mr. Debuchi at once said he thought that that condition was reasonable and he said that he had already advised Baron Shidehara, who was his personal friend, that the Japanese troops should be at once withdrawn to the railway zone. I then said to him that of course I was not attempting to meddle but I thought that this was information which Baron Shidehara would be much interested in. I summed it up as follows:
[Page 109]- First: The American Secretary of State has already informally suggested to the representatives of the League of Nations that China and Japan should be allowed to settle their trouble by direct negotiations—that being in accordance with the customs of the Orient—and the Japanese Government has expressed itself as very grateful for that suggestion.
- Second: That now the Finance Minister of China, Mr. Soong, who is known as one of the most able and responsible members of the Chinese Government, and Mr. Lee, the Acting Foreign Minister, have each made the suggestion that China would be willing to thus negotiate directly with Japan provided the Japanese troops were withdrawn to the railway zone first.
- Third: That the Japanese Ambassador himself thinks that that condition is not unreasonable.
Mr. Debuchi laughed and referred back to the time when he was Foreign Vice Minister and Baron Tanaka as Premier had intervened in Shantung, saying that he had urged most strongly upon Tanaka the immediate withdrawal of the Japanese troops from Shantung but that it took two months for him to do it. He said that of course withdrawals take time and there is the danger of bandits imperiling the lives of Japanese if the Japanese troops are withdrawn prematurely. I replied that withdrawals were always difficult and that such reasons were always given by the military authorities but they must be weighed against the big advantages of an immediate withdrawal unless otherwise a greater catastrophe occur. Speaking frankly, I told him I thought they ought to get out at once. He said that I knew already that Baron Shidehara had greatly appreciated my friendly action in the beginning of this trouble and that any suggestion of mine would be received by him with great weight and this would go to him at once.