Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1935, The Far East, Volume III

500.A15A5/372

The Secretary of State to President Roosevelt

Washington , January 22, 1935.

Dear Mr. President: I am sending you here attached: a copy of a despatch just received from Ambassador Grew⁴⁰ on the subject: “The Importance of American Naval Preparedness in connection with the Situation in the Far East”; a digest thereof;⁴¹ and a copy of a memorandum prepared recently in the Department, entitled “Relations between the United States and Countries of the Far East—Especially Japan—in 1935”.⁴²

The views expressed by Mr. Grew with regard to the present situation and the importance of American naval preparedness are absolutely in accord with views which have been expressed to me from time to time by my assistants who are concerned with those questions here in the Department. With their deductions and conclusions and those of Mr. Grew, I am absolutely in accord. In the memorandum on “Relations … in 1935”, there are given suggestions with regard to the line of procedure which this Government might to advantage follow, both in general and with regard to particular questions, during the period immediately ahead of us. Copies of this have been shown to Norman Davis⁴³ and William Bullitt,⁴⁴ and they have both expressed general concurrence.

I think that you will wish to look through all of this, and at some time in the near future I should like to discuss with you ways and means for bringing these matters discreetly and in confidence to the attention of certain Members of the Congress.

Faithfully yours,

Cordell Hull

40. No. 1102, December 27, 1934, p. 821.
41. Digest not printed.
42. Memorandum of January 3, p. 829.
43. Chief American delegate at the London naval conversations in 1934.
44. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, temporarily in Washington.