693.113 (Manchuria) Petroleum/81: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 15—1:31 a.m.]
31. Department’s 17, February 9, 3 p.m.,77 Manchurian Kerosene Tariff. The British Ambassador has suggested to me that officers of our two Embassies make joint informal representations to the Foreign Office and leave a joint aide-mémoire. He is of the opinion that as the American and British oil companies are working together in regard to the Japanese and Manchurian oil situations, and as our representations hitherto have been so nearly identical, and as all these three subjects are closely interrelated, it would be well to make the representations jointly in this instance.
I can see no objection to joint informal representations. I am not so sure that a written aide-mémoire is desirable, as it would be possible to make oral representations that would meet the case, and a joint document might cause needless irritation. We might, however, leave a sheet of paper simply embodying the points brought out in our oral representations.
Please instruct.
- Not printed; it authorized the action recommended in the telegram supra (693.113 (Manchuria) Petroleum/79).↩