793.94/5581
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Castle) of a Conversation With the Italian Ambassador (De Martino), September 7, 1932
The Italian Ambassador read me a telegram from Shanghai stating that the report was that Japan would soon occupy the province of Jehol and that this would mean disorders in Tientsin and Peiping since the Chinese Government is determined to use its forces for the protection of Jehol; he asked me whether this would not raise the question of the neutralization of Peiping. I answered that it would not do so since that question would not arise unless Japanese troops invaded northern China.
The Ambassador said that he had a report that a new Japanese fleet was on its way to Shanghai. I told him that we had not heard this and that I hoped the explanation might be that Japan may be sending ships to China to replace those now there.