793.94112/66: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
208. Your 363, September 12, noon,14 and 368, September 14, noon. The British Chargé d’Affaires at Washington on September 11 handed an officer of the Department an aide-mémoire similar in substance to the communication quoted in your No. 363. Inquiry was made in the aide-mémoire whether this Government would be prepared to instruct the American Ambassador at Tokyo to take parallel action in the matter.
While this Government is in hearty accord with the desire of the British Government to keep alive in the Far Eastern area the principles of international law with regard to maritime commerce, and desires to continue the course of collaboration which it has pursued since the beginning of the Far Eastern crisis, the Department is of the opinion that the taking by this Government at this time of action parallel to that taken by the British in this matter would be inopportune, especially in view of the reply of the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, as reported in your 368, that the Japanese forces have no intention of attacking merchant ships of third powers whether marked or not. The Department is replying to the British Embassy in the sense of the foregoing.15