793.94/4264
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
The French Ambassador brought me a résumé of some telegrams which he has received from his own Government during the last two days, as follows:
[Résumé not printed.]
After the Ambassador read me these communications I reminded him of his suggestion the other day about a new protest to the Japanese Government against the use of the Settlement for a base of operations against the Chinese, by the Japanese. I told him I had considered that and thought it was a good suggestion and that we were proposing to make such a protest and that we were intending to include in the protest a warning that we would hold the Japanese Government liable for any damages that should arise from such use. I handed him a draft of such a proposed protest that we are sending and I requested him to communicate with his Government and suggest that they send a similar protest. I told the Ambassador I had already made the suggestion to the British this afternoon through the Foreign Minister with whom I talked over the telephone and that Mr. Castle was making the same suggestion to the Italians through the Italian Ambassador. He read the draft protest and said he thought it was a very good one and that he personally was very strongly in favor of it and would communicate it to his Government.