Office of the Historian

761.9315 Manchuria/40: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State93

Moscow, February 23, 1936—8 p.m.
[Received February 23—5:05 p.m.]

60–61. My 58, February 21, 9 p.m. second paragraph. The Moscow Daily News of today carries the following official statement.

“On February 21, 1936, the Japanese Ambassador M. Ota visited Comrade B. S. Stomonyakov, Assistant Peoples Commissar for Foreign Affairs, and informed him that the Japanese Government does not consider it possible to accept the Soviet Government’s proposal to include neutral representatives in a mixed commission for investigating the border incident of January 3 and asked the Soviet Government not to insist on its proposal.

Comrade Stomonyakov stated that the Soviet Government still considers desirable, in the interests of ascertaining the truth, the participation of neutral, disinterested representatives in the Commission. However, if the Japanese side does not consider it possible to accept this proposal the Soviet Government while sincerely regretting this is ready in the interests of peace to meet the wishes of the, Japanese Government and agrees to the investigation of the incident by mixed commission consisting of only representatives of the U. S. S. R., Japan and Manchukuo. The commission should be based on parity with equal representation of the U. S. S. R. on the one side and of Japan and Manchukuo on the other side.

Bullitt
  1. The two sections of this message, transmitted as telegrams Nos. 60 and 61, are printed as one document.↩