793.94/4290: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Wilson), at Geneva
18. With further reference to your No. 29, February 19, noon, and Department’s No. 17, February 19, 1 p.m. Recent advices from Minister Johnson at Shanghai, one dated as late as February 19, 5 p.m.,79 show that Johnson is constantly and actively cooperating with his British, French and Italian colleagues in all matters of [Page 407] common interest. See also Department’s telegrams to you No. 9 [11?] of February 11, 3 p.m., and No. 16 of February 16, 3 p.m.
The Department has observed in the period since September 18 last that a great many false or misleading reports with regard to the attitude and/or action, positive or negative, of the American Government and its representatives in connection with Far Eastern questions and in relation to cooperation with the League have apparently been circulated in or have issued from Geneva.
It is suggested that whenever you receive from any authoritative source reports of the nature of that referred to in the first paragraph of your telegram under reference you might safely, and upon your own initiative, before reporting same to Department, counteract the false impression which such reports, whether of deliberate intent or otherwise, may tend to create.
- Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 197 (time therein was erroneously given as 1 p.m.).↩