Office of the Historian

793.94/10896: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, October 30, 1937—1 p.m.
[Received October 30—7:28 a.m.]

868. Department’s 325, October 29, 1 p.m. German Ambassador has just returned from Shanghai where he went to meet wife and escort her to Nanking. He informs me that he saw Kawagoe and also Ito83 while there, the latter at an informal tea tendered him and his wife by member of Japanese Embassy. He states that he received no impression that Japanese had formulated any terms, that they merely talked usual generalities. I do not believe that he is acting in capacity described; he seemed very pessimistic. I have just returned from a conversation with Kung84 who in reply to a question about rumors regarding peace overtures stated that Chinese would not discuss peace terms with Japanese prior to Brussels Conference to which Japanese case has been referred.

Johnson
  1. Nobuni Ito, Japanese Minister to Poland until 1937.↩
  2. H. H. Kung, Chinese Minister of Finance and Vice President of the Executive Yuan (Vice Premier).↩