893.01 Manchuria/628
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the Irish Minister (MacWhite)
Mr. MacWhite came to inquire evidently on behalf of President de Valera, who is now presiding at the League of Nations, whether there had been any change in my policy in regard to Manchuria. I assured him that there had not and under his inquiry took occasion to bring out that our interest in the matter had been preeminently that of saving the peace treaties in which all of the nations of Europe were interested quite as much as ourselves, and not primarily to push forward our economic interests in Manchuria. I pointed out that although we had interests in the Far East, they were not as large as those of the British Empire, nor were our interests in Manchuria as large as our interests in China which were threatened by many other causes beside the Japanese policy. I pointed out that the course of events was such as to give me profound satisfaction and encouragement and not discouragement. I said that my action last winter, of January 7th, when I acted alone had been endorsed by the Assembly on March 11th and that my views as to the facts had been now confirmed by the Lytton Report; that as to my policies, I was in the easy position of the man who had laid his cards face up on the table and had nothing more to say. I pointed out that the action on the Lytton Report was a matter entirely resting with the League, and that I was not so foolish as to intrude this country, which was not a member, into it. He said he understood all this perfectly and would so report.