790.94/64
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Phillips)
During his call this morning I asked the Soviet Ambassador whether he had any further information regarding Far Eastern affairs. I said that I would like to keep in touch with him on all developments in that part of the world and that I welcomed his views.
The Ambassador referred to a recent conference of Japanese and Manchukuo officials at Dairen during which, according to the press, a pan-Asiatic movement with Japan had been very much to the fore. [Page 106] The Ambassador said that he knew personally most of the Japanese conferees and that in his opinion they were all friendly to the Soviet Union. He felt more than ever that the prospective movement of the Japanese would be towards the west and the south rather than towards Siberia. Indications were that Japan desired to be friendly to the United States and to the Soviet Union, possibly in order to make their progress in China easier.
The Ambassador spoke at some length about conditions in Manchukuo. He admitted that Japan had been pressing his Government for recognition of Manchukuo. The Soviet attitude in this respect was being guided solely by the conditions within Manchukuo itself. While Japanese dominated the country, while large Japanese armies were in occupation, while Chinese residents were unable to speak to foreigners without being imprisoned, the Soviet Government could not accept Manchukuo as an independent state. Although the Ambassador did not say so, it was apparent that the failure of the Soviet to recognize Manchukuo had nothing to do with the infringement by Japan of treaties with other nations.
The Ambassador mentioned that Japanese agents had penetrated far into Mongolia and were in close touch with the Mongolian princes,—in fact, he said, Japanese agents were “everywhere”.