500.A15A4/1904: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 19—5:52 a.m.]
103. 1. The Departments of Foreign Affairs, Army and Navy are carefully considering all implications of the President’s appeal for [Page 152] disarmament and universal nonaggression and it will probably be several days before an official reply10 is forthcoming. The general reaction in Japan has not been favorable to the proposal as a whole, but the impression is gaining ground in Japan that the past tendency to ignore the opinions and wishes of other nations is in part the cause of economic reprisals such as the recent abrogation of trade agreements by parts of the British Empire and that therefore the President’s proposal should not be refused in toto. Nevertheless, the consensus of opinion among observers here is that Japan, while agreeing in principle, will add such conditions and reservations as practically to nullify the effect of the agreement as far as Japan and the Far East are concerned.
2. The Tass representative in Tokyo stated to a member of my staff that he believes that the Soviets will accept the proposal with the condition that all other nations accept in good faith, this condition being aimed particularly at Japan. If Japan does not accept unconditionally, therefore, he believes that the Soviets will be unable to accept the President’s proposal and that this will undoubtedly influence the decisions of European powers bordering on the Soviet.