893.01 Manchuria/474: Telegram
The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 16—12:45 p.m.]
271. I learn from French Ambassador this morning that in reply to his inquiry, Simon stated British Government was undecided what if any reply Foreign Office would make to formal notification if received from Japanese Government announcing recognition of Manchukuo Government. French Ambassador then informed me Simon had suggested that meeting of Disarmament Bureau be postponed in view of German nonattendance but that French Government could not agree, pointing out any postponement of Bureau meeting would be interpreted as merely succumbing to German “blackmail”.
French Ambassador stated Japanese militarists dared to undertake their aggressive measures in Manchuria last September because they were convinced there would be no coercive retaliation on the part of the United States and the French Foreign Office was convinced [Page 250] German note of August 2959 was based on similar conviction of present German militarist government that there would be no retaliatory coercive measures. French Ambassador who stated frankly his Government could not envisage any coercive measures, was at the same time obviously anxious lest a mere international denial of Germany’s claim for equality of armament would strengthen hand of present German military government at the expense of that large Liberal Republican element in Germany which for the moment, anyway, found little expression.
- See telegram No. 502, August 29, 6 p.m., from the Ambassador in France, vol. i, p. 417.↩