894c.20/4: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan ( Grew ) to the Secretary of State

164. Department’s 126, July 27, 4 p.m.

1.
The Embassy telegraphed the Consulate at Dairen July 4 and 28 requesting reports in regard to any elements of compulsion direct or indirect employed by the Japanese authorities in collecting contributions.
2.
Dairen has replied in part as follows:

“July 30, 2 p.m. On Thursday last11 American companies informed me that they had received another letter signed by the Mayor stating that ‘we should be very much obliged if you could give some donation [Page 819] for the closing day is near at hand.’ The official closing day for receiving contributions is tomorrow. Other foreign firms received identic letter and all inform me that they are not responding. There has been no direct or indirect resort to compulsion.”

3.
While the element of direct compulsion appears to be absent thus avoiding infringement of the letter of the last paragraph of article 1 of our treaty of 1911 with Japan12 I suggest that the spirit of the treaty is infringed if American firms are placed in the position of fearing retaliatory measure for noncompliance with requests for contributions toward air defense.
4.
I suggest that this fact might be brought informally to the attention of the Japanese Foreign Office. Please instruct.
Grew
  1. July 26.
  2. Treaty of commerce and navigation signed at Washington, February 21, 1911, Foreign Relations, 1911, p. 315.