500.A15A5/148: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Bingham)
309. [For Davis.] Your 422 July 17, 8 p.m. Our reaction to the text of the joint statement which you propose is that it would serve [Page 297] no useful purpose and might even be disadvantageous in that (a) it gives an impression of differences of opinion between the British and ourselves, (b) it might arouse Japanese suspicion of a common front, (c) its omissions are so evident as to cause speculation, and (d) it commits us irrevocably to continuing negotiations irrespective of future developments.
The statement contained in your 41823 coupled with my remarks in press conference to the effect that the preliminary conversations had not broken down but had merely been suspended and would be resumed when circumstances warranted, probably in the autumn, have definitely allayed public suspicion of pronounced disagreement between the British and ourselves, which I fear that any further communiqué would revive.
Obviously this would hold true whether or not your communiqué is issued unilaterally by either delegation or jointly. I therefore hope that no further public statement will be made either by you or by the British.