500.A15A5/101: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Bingham) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 20—8:06 a.m.]
338. From Norman Davis. In a meeting with Ambassador Matsudaira this morning I told him of yesterday’s conversations, as anticipated in the Embassy’s telegram Number 332, June 18, 10 p.m. He told me that MacDonald had given him a similar account yesterday afternoon. He said that he was particularly gratified to learn that neither the British nor ourselves desired to bring up political questions and told me frankly and confidentially that they had been afraid we were going to try to raise the question of Manchukuo. He spoke of limitations which his Government had wanted to put upon the conversations but admitted that if we were to prepare properly for a conference it would be necessary to have more fundamental discussions, particularly with regard to technical questions.
I told him that I was sorry at the delay in the arrival of their naval advisers and asked if it were true that they were appointing a lieutenant commander for this purpose. He said that they had appointed him as an assistant Naval Attaché and that he was probably the one in the Navy Department who was conversant with the naval studies, but intimated that he expected the appointment of an officer of higher rank for the conversations.
He mentioned the question of ratio, and I expressed the hope that his Government had not definitely decided to raise such a question as that of a modification. He replied that although there was a strong sentiment in Japan, particularly in the Navy, in favor of an increase in ratio which was based, in part, on a question of national dignity and made it difficult for the Government not to press for it, the Government had not yet made a final decision as to the attitude it would take. While he could not assure me that they would not make the demand, he expressed the personal hope that no difficulty would arise over this. He remarked, however, that although the liberal element is gaining some ground in Japan he still felt that his views were not shared by public opinion.
Matsudaira declared they did not want the conference in Tokyo. He had rather assumed we would want it in Washington. Although there was some objections to London he thought his Government would agree if the rest of us favor it. [Davis.]