793.94/7295: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 26—7:34 a.m.]
12. Embassy’s 10, September 25, 5 p.m. The Consulate General at Tientsin reports that the local Japanese Consulate-General is embarrassed by publication of General Tada’s statement and claims that it does not represent the policy of the Army or of the Government. It is understood that Japanese newspapers in Tientsin which published the statement in full were severely reprimanded. If the statement was given to the Japanese trade [press?] for background knowledge only, then a reasonable interpretation would seem to be that the action by the Japanese Army forecast in the statement is not necessarily so imminent as it otherwise would seem. Japanese newspapers so far available to the Embassy contain only an expurgated summary of the statement. From the information available it appears that the United Press account is correct as far as it goes, but that it does not include all which Tada said. The story has not been denied by the Japanese military and the Japanese correspondent who gave the story to the United Press representative now refuses to let him see the original statement.
To Tokyo by mail.