793.94/4079
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Castle)
The German Ambassador asked me whether anything particular had happened since his talk with the Secretary concerning the Far East on February 4th.58 I told him that, of course, we had been greatly disappointed at the Japanese answer to the joint representations and that we were considering what further steps might advantageously be taken. He said that, inasmuch as the representations offering good offices were concurrent, we naturally would wish to discuss the next step with the other nations. I told him this was, of course, true. He asked why these representations were confined to the four powers, whether it had been decided only to include the naval powers. I told him I felt that the primary reason was that the center of the trouble was in Shanghai and that only those powers had been asked to participate who had important interests in the International Settlement. The Ambassador said that, if at any time Germany could be of assistance, he was sure that his Government would be glad to take any specific part as Germany felt that the measures we had so far taken were very useful.
- Memorandum of conversation not printed.↩