793.94/11678: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
360. Your 650, December 17, 5 p.m.35 At the Press Conference on December 15 a correspondent inquired whether there was anything in the nature of a consultation between this Government and the British Government on the Far Eastern situation and whether or not any consideration was being given to a naval demonstration in the Far East by the two Governments either jointly, along parallel lines or independently. The Secretary replied that he could only repeat what he had said so many times since the commencement of the difficulties in the Far East, that is that this country and other countries like Great Britain which have common interests, common purposes and common objectives with this country in the Far East were working along parallel lines, were exchanging information, were collaborating with respect to facts and conditions in the Far East and were acting concurrently. He added that this Government, of course, reserves its own freedom and independence of action, that this has been the policy [Page 816] of this Government from the beginning, and that so far as he knew this represented a course that was not objectionable to other countries. The correspondent inquired if this statement by the Secretary represented a matter of general principle or applied to the question regarding a naval demonstration. The Secretary replied that the only way to avoid confusion was to keep in mind the formula upon which this Government has been operating from the beginning of the Far Eastern conflict and in this connection he referred the correspondents to statements which he had made at an earlier date (see Radio Bulletin No. 161 of July 13 last).
A correspondent inquired if the memorandum from the President36 implied that a reply was expected from the Emperor of Japan. The Secretary replied that, in order to be strictly accurate, he could only let the President’s memorandum stand for itself. He added that he did not know how he could give it interpretation with any particular advantage either to the correspondent or to himself.
At the President’s Press Conference on December 14 a correspondent inquired if anything had been received from the Emperor of Japan, to which the President replied in the negative. Asked if his message to the Emperor meant that he desired an answer, the President replied that what has been given out at the State Department speaks for itself. In response to an inquiry as to whether the Panay incident would mean any change in the policy of evacuating our nationals from China, the President replied in the negative.
- Not printed. This telegram reported press despatches stating that “the Secretary at the press conference on December 15 stated that the American Government is not contemplating any kind of naval move either independently or jointly in the Far East.”↩
- See telegram No. 343, December 13, 9 p.m., to the Ambassador in Japan, vol. iv, p. 496.↩