Office of the Historian

611B.9417/70

Memorandum by Mr. Eugene H. Dooman of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs

[Washington,] September 23, 1935.
Conversation: Mr. Seijiro Yoshizawa, Counselor of the Japanese Embassy;
Mr. Sayre;
Mr. Dooman.

Mr. Yoshizawa stated that the Ambassador, following his conversation on September 20 with Mr. Sayre, had telegraphed to the Foreign Office at Tokyo the text of the draft statement intended for issuance by the Department in regard to the arrangement to cover exports of Japanese cotton textiles to the Philippine Islands, and that the Foreign Office had agreed to the publication of the statement amended by the addition of the words “in 1934”.

Mr. Sayre remarked that the proposed change would fundamentally alter the character of the arrangement; that it brought the discussions back to the position of five months ago; and that publication of the statement as revised would not be helpful to the American Government in meeting the situation created by the endeavor of American textile manufacturers to have increased the Philippine tariff on cotton textiles. He again referred to the opening of the Philippine Legislature, and he said that he had hoped that, when representatives [Page 997] of the American textile manufacturers called on him, which they would in a day or so, he would be in position to inform them that the Japanese Government had agreed to keep exports to the Philippine Islands down to a volume satisfactory to us. He felt that he could not but conclude from the statement made to him by Mr. Yoshizawa that negotiations had finally broken down, and he would feel obliged so to inform the representatives of the textile industry. He asked Mr. Yoshizawa whether the statement made by Mr. Yoshizawa represented the last word of the Japanese Government. Mr. Yoshizawa replied that it was his understanding that the statement was the last word of the Japanese Government.

There then followed a brief discussion in which reference was made to the fact that the American Government had endeavored from the beginning to give effect to the principle of “share and share alike”.

Mr. Sayre stated that the change in the draft statement proposed by the Japanese Government would be unacceptable, but before giving the Japanese Embassy a conclusive reply he wished to study the trade figures a little more closely, and that following such study he would invite Mr. Yoshizawa to call again at the Department.