811.5294/565
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck)
The Japanese Ambassador called on me on December 18 and said that his Government had informed him that a member of the Diet had interrogated the Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the Arizona case and there had been raised the question whether the United States Federal Government was interesting itself on the spot in occurrences in the Salt River Valley; also, that the question was likely to come up again in the Diet in January and Mr. Hirota would like to have such information as we could give him. I told the Ambassador that, for his own information, but to be used very confidentially, it is a fact that some Federal agents had been working on the case in Arizona. Giving reasons, I said that I would suggest that he suggest to Mr. Hirota that if the question comes up again he make [Page 699] the reply that it is his understanding that Federal agents have been operating in the Salt River Valley, but avoid saying that he had been so informed by the American Government or any of its officers. Mr. Saito said that he “saw the point” and would so proceed.
On December 19 there came to my attention the letter of the Assistant Attorney General of date December 13 transmitting a copy of a report made by the Los Angeles office of the Division of Investigation of the Department of Justice.77 I informed the Ambassador today by telephone that I had some new information with regard to the Arizona case. He said that he would like to come in at once and hear what I might be able to tell him. Upon his arrival I told him that we had a report from a Federal agency and that I would give him a sketch of portions of its contents, which I proceeded to do, by reading to him excerpts from this Division’s digest of the Los Angeles office’s report. The Ambassador thanked me; he said that he had already telegraphed to Mr. Hirota in the sense of my suggestion of December 18 and that he appreciated having the additional information.
- Not printed.↩