Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1937, The Far East, Volume III

761.9415 Amur River/7: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan ( Grew ) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo , July 2, 1937—2 p.m.
[Received July 2—6:32 a.m.]

174. My 171, July 1, 7 p.m.

1. Yoshizawa⁴⁵ informed a member of my staff this morning that the Amur River incident of June 30 occurred only a few hours after Litvinoff had assured Shigemitsu that the Russian forces occupying temporary Amur River islands would be withdrawn conditionally upon retirement from that vicinity of Manchukuo-Japanese forces. Yesterday Shigemitsu had lodged a protest with Litvinoff over the incident of June 30 and Litvinoff had replied that the incident had altered the situation arising from the occupation of the islands and that he could not therefore confirm the assurance previously given that Soviet forces would be withdrawn from the Amur River islands.

2. Yoshizawa stated that the feeling in Tokyo is that the Russians probably do not intend to take a strong position but that a “very, very serious situation” would arise if the Russian forces are not withdrawn.

3. The Japanese press while relatively calm and urging the settlement of the incident by negotiation does not advocate compromise.

4. Yoshizawa referred to a press despatch from Moscow reporting that Ambassador Davies had called on Shigemitsu and had expressed his personal hope that the incident would be peacefully adjusted. Yoshizawa’s comment was that he could not believe that Davies could be so indiscreet.

Grew

45. Seijiro Yoshizawa, Director of the American Affairs Bureau, Japanese Foreign Office.