761.948/127: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State

217. Following statement issued by Tass under date of May 30:

“The Japanese Ambassador M. Ota visited Assistant People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs B. S. Stomonyakov on May 25 and handed him a note in which the Japanese Government on the basis of the decision contained in paragraph 2 of article No. 15 of the Fishing Convention signed January 23, 1928, expressed its desire to revise the said convention. The Japanese Government also stated that it wished to begin discussions on such a revision immediately.

Stomonyakov invited the Japanese Ambassador on May 29 to visit him and advised M. Ota that the Soviet Government has taken note of the desire of the Japanese Government to revise the Fishing Convention. He expressed his willingness to begin discussions along diplomatic lines and has intrusted the matter to Kozlovski, head of the Second Eastern Department of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs.”

In conversation yesterday Sakoh, Japanese Counselor of Embassy, stated that unexpected turn for worse indicated that negotiations might drag on for over a year.

Bullitt