793.94/4725: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 13—9:35 a.m.]
My March 13, 9 p.m. [a.m.]95 In a further letter to Lampson dated today Shigemitsu states:
“Our representative at Geneva wires back to me in reply to my inquiry that he is not disposed to look upon Dr. W. W. Yen’s reservation as modifying the declaration of the League resolution or as binding us in any way. As regards the expression ‘complete withdrawal’ I can hardly persuade myself to read Mr. Kuo Tai-chi’s meaning into the resolution as it stands.
Permit me to reiterate the Japanese are prepared to enter into negotiation at any time on the basis of the League resolution. It would seem much better to expedite the matter if both sides stood simply on the resolution itself and avoided at this state [stage?] to bring in, conditions or matters extraneous to it.”
- Not printed.↩