500.A15A3/1854: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)
450. Your 618, December 16, 8 p.m. The Japanese Embassy in Washington informed us today that the Japanese Cabinet would meet tomorrow to take action with regard to the excess submarines. The Embassy stated that the Japanese Government had not intended to have recourse to Article 21 but in view of the British decision to invoke this Article in order to retain cruisers it was prepared to follow suit, provided, however, that assurances were received from us that if Article 21 should be invoked this Government would not object to the retention by Japan of excess submarine tonnage.
We replied orally that we did not question the right of the Japanese to make the proposed increase in the submarine category nor their right to be the sole judge in determining whether their security had [Page 156] been affected to such an extent that the retention of extra submarines had become a necessity, provided, however, that they had recourse to Article 21 which was the only method provided by the 1930 Treaty for raising the tonnage limits of the Treaty.