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

793.94/11925: Telegram

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

Tokyo, January 1, 1938—2 p.m.
[Received January 1, 1938—7:11 a.m.]

2. Tsingtao’s December 21, 5 p.m.; Peiping’s December 23, 11 a.m. [noon].⁷³ My British colleague yesterday addressed a letter to the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs requesting that in the event of hostilities at Tsingtao, Edgewater Peninsula be regarded as a safety zone “subject to the understanding that Japanese responsibility to respect foreign lives and property outside such safety zone remains unimpaired”.

Copies of the British Ambassador’s letter were sent to the French and the German Ambassador and to myself with the expressed hope that we may be prepared to support the British request.

Please instruct.⁷⁴

Repeated to Peiping.

Grew

73. Latter not printed.
74. The Department’s telegram No. 1, January 1, 1938, 2 p.m., authorized the Ambassador in Japan “to make representations similar to those made by the British Ambassador.” (793.94/11925)