893.01 Manchuria/345: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 21—10:55 a.m.]
192. The Italian Ambassador allegedly without instructions from his Government today discussed with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the question of Japanese recognition of “Manchukuo” and inquired whether it would not be possible to maintain Chinese sovereignty over Manchuria at least nominally on somewhat the same basis as Turkish nominal sovereignty was preserved over Bulgaria and Egypt in former days. The Minister replied categorically in the negative and stated with marked emphasis that there had been and would be no change from the policy announced by Saito in the Diet. He characterized Shiratori’s statements to the foreign press (see my 190, July 18, 4 p.m.) as based on a “misunderstanding” but committed himself to no prediction as to the approximate date when recognition would be accorded. The Minister added that China would also be obliged to recognize the independence of “Manchukuo” in due course. The Ambassador tells me that he was surprised at the Minister’s vehemence.
My British colleague likewise saw Uchida today and repeated to him unofficially the representations which he had made to Arita as reported in my 189, July 16, 4 p.m. The Minister said that Japan was in no way responsible for “Manchukuo” and had not encouraged the separatist movement. The Minister professed to be inadequately informed concerning the recent military developments in Jehol.
Repeated to Peiping.