761.9315 Manchuria/4: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 5—5:51 a.m.]
266. I discussed with Litvinov today the situation in the Far East. He expressed the opinion that there was no immediate danger of Japanese relenting and asserted positively that the Japanese Government had not demanded the sale of northern half of Saghalien and had not requested the demilitarization of the Far Eastern provinces of Siberia. He stated further that the Japanese Government had proposed that a commission should be established immediately to regulate frontier difficulties and that the Soviet Government had accepted the proposal. He added that he was convinced that the Japanese Government desired peace whatever a few militarists in Japan and Manchuria might desire.
With regard to Abyssinia,21 he stated that he no longer had the [Page 293] slightest doubt that Italy would attack but added that he did not believe that such an attack was possible until October 1st because of the condition of the terrain during the rainy season. He asserted that after Mussolini had rejected all proposals which Eden22 could invent Eden had asked Mussolini “what then do you want?” and that Mussolini had replied by placing his palm on the map of Abyssinia which was lying on the table.
- For correspondence relating to the Ethiopian-Italian conflict, see vol. i, pp. 594 ff.↩
- New British Minister for League of Nations Affairs.↩