893.01B 11 Manchuria/16
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck)
Dear Mr. Hornbeck: After carefully reading and acquiring the contents of your letter to me of July 16 and its enclosures concerning Mr. George Bronson Rea and his activities in Washington, I took occasion on August 16 to talk the matter over with Mr. Hirota, at his residence and not at the Foreign Office, in a friendly way but fully [Page 680] and with emphasis on certain outstanding points, along the lines of your suggestions. It was made clear to the Minister that I was not making representations either of a formal or informal nature but that in view of his repeatedly expressed desire to be informed of ways and means by which our friendly relations might be improved and, as a corollary, of situations which tended to impair or impede the development of those relations, I believed that it would be helpful to him, the Minister, to be acquainted with the facts concerning Mr. Rea’s propaganda activities, the reaction of our Government thereto and the harmful effects created thereby in the United States.
Mr. Hirota seemed genuinely interested in what I told him but he vouchsafed no comment. I dare say that he will talk the matter over with Mr. Saito who presumably, as suggested on page 5 of your letter, may not lend a very sympathetic ear. I have no idea whether Mr. Hirota will carry the matter further, but little was left to the imagination as I brought out the salient facts slowly, clearly and repeatedly in our talk. It will interest me to learn from you in due course whether any results become evident in Washington.62
Yours sincerely,
- The Consul at Dairen, in his despatch dated August 31, 1935, reported the return of Mr. Rea to Manchuria (893.01B 11 Manchuria/15).↩