761.9415 Amur River/1: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Davies) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 30—1:52 p.m.]
140. Referring to authorized press dispatches relative Soviet-Japanese Amur River situation, following supplementary information considered of possible value to Department.
Islands involved lie roughly 500 miles northwest of Vladivostok and 80 miles southwest from Blagoveshchensk and are reputedly uninhabited.
On June 29 the Moscow Natalda [Pravda] ran both a report from Khabarovsk and an editorial complaining of the violation of Soviet territorial waters and islands in this district by Japanese armed vessels and troops. Arguments were cited to support the Soviet claim to the islands and the channels to the north of them. Today’s press contains a communiqué describing conversation which took place on June 29 between Litvinov39 and the Japanese Ambassador40 seting forth respective contentions without apparently coming to agreement. For details see American press reports.
It is of interest that accounts of conversation circulated from Japanese sources indicate strongly that the Japanese Ambassador took a very threatening tone, that the Soviet action was an extraordinary break-down and that the matter has an importance considerably [Page 921] exceeding that of the ordinary Manchurian border incident. It indicates remarkable change of disposition since March—see my despatch No. 152 of March 26, 193741 covering Japanese Ambassador’s statement to me.
It is widely assumed among foreigners in Moscow that this action of the Japanese is a reflection of their increased confidence following the shootings of Red Army generals and the rumors (in which I have not yet found reason to place much credence) that Bluecher42 will not return to his post in the Far East.
The main point of contention appears to be whether the main channel of the river which now apparently lies north of most of the islands should be taken as the border line, in which case the islands south of it must be regarded as belonging to “Manchukuo”, or whether the map attached to the Peiping treaty of 186043 and other evidence presented by the Soviet side to show that the islands were commonly regarded as Russian before the war, shall be accepted as decisive. Supplementing current press reports it should be noted that for the Soviet Government to admit the principle that the main channel constitutes the border would appear to establish a very dangerous precedent from the Soviet point of view with regard to the island of Haihaitsu near Khabarovsk, the most important Soviet city in the Far East. If the main channel were to be regarded as the border Japanese naval vessels could probably approach to sighting distance of this city. Attention is invited in this connection to the Department’s instruction No. 707 of May 12, 1936.44