500.A15A4/1961
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Phillips)
The Japanese Ambassador94 called to make, as he said, certain inquiries regarding the President’s circular message to the heads of states of to-day’s date. His inquiries were in special reference to the “fourth proposal” and to whether the words “subject to treaty rights” included the whole of this paragraph. I explained to him that it did include the whole of the fourth proposal.
At the end of the conversation the Ambassador said that he assumed that the President’s message was intended primarily for European consumption, and in particular for German consumption, and that probably it did not bear directly upon the Far Eastern situation.95 He said he did not wish to quote me in any way but that the above was his judgment, which of course he would not ask me to confirm. I replied to the effect that, in my opinion, the message was applicable to the Far Eastern situation just as it was to various other parts of [Page 147] the world, but of course the reason for sending it on this particular date was in view of the critical situation in the Reichstag tomorrow. I asked the Ambassador not to carry away from me the impression that it was directed solely to the European situation.
Mr. Debuchi then mentioned the coming of Viscount Ishii96 and expressed the hope that we could arrange for Ishii to have a personal conference with the President without anyone else in attendance. He mentioned the fact that during the Naval Conference the Prime Minister of Japan97 had an hour’s talk with the President. He thought that it would be very helpful if this quiet talk between Ishii and the President could be arranged next week. I said I would gladly carry his message to the President.
The Ambassador referred to the fact that Japanese sentiment towards the United States had been improving during the last two months since the inauguration of President Roosevelt, and that this was explainable because of a feeling of confidence in the President and because of the fact that there had been a quiet period in the exchange of communications between Japan and the United States. He added that he hoped that this Presidential message to the Emperor would not change this attitude of the Japanese.
The Ambassador concluded by saying that he hoped we understood that the Emperor would be obliged to delay sending a response to the President’s message because the Emperor had no position corresponding to that of President and the reply, therefore, would have to be carefully considered by the Government. He thought that, in view of the situation in China, there would be some embarrassment in answering the President’s communication. I said that we would naturally understand any such delay and that I did not see any urgent reason calling for immediate reply.
- Katsuji Debuchi.↩
- For correspondence relating to the Far Eastern situation, see vol. iii, pp. 1 ff.↩
- Viscount Kikujiro Ishii, senior Japanese delegate, Preliminary Economic Conversations, Washington, May 23–June 2; Privy Councilor.↩
- Yuko Hamaguchi.↩