793.94 Commission/340
Memorandum by the Minister in China (Johnson)
General McCoy came in this morning for a few seconds, and pointing to the memorandum of the interview between the Commission and Count Uchida, asked me to read it and said that he wished my advice in a matter they now had to determine. He said it was a question of filing an interim report with the League in view of what the Commission had been told by Count Uchida.
He said that there were arguments for and against, briefly: the Commission should not delay in putting before the League and the world its reaction and findings, in anticipation of the proposed act of Japan to recognize Manchukuo. On the other hand, it was argued that any action taken by the League now would be sure to precipitate action by the Japanese, who were in a state such as to defy the League.
General McCoy stated that at the second interview with Count Uchida (although the typed memorandum of the interview did not [Page 177] indicate this) it was very apparent that Count Uchida was quite shaken by the arguments which Lord Lytton and other members of the Commission had put up; and that there had been intimations given to them that the Commission should delay any action in order to give Japan opportunity to think things over.
General McCoy stated that Count Kabayama there in [and Count?] Makino and Count Kaneko and other stanch liberals had more than intimated to them that a delay on the part of the League in taking any action at this time would strengthen the hands of liberals in Japan who hoped to influence action by the Government.
I told General McCoy that I would read the memorandum and would talk the matter over with Dr. Blakeslee later.