760P.62/924: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
Tokyo, September 20, 1938—6
p.m.
[Received September 20—10:45 a.m.]
[Received September 20—10:45 a.m.]
609. Our 608, September 19, 4 p.m.
- 1.
- With regard to the statement given out by the Foreign Office on September 14, which the Embassy assumes was published in the United States, a translation prepared by the Embassy of the pertinent passage in the Japanese text reads that in connection with the Sudeten problem Japan “is prepared to resist the mechanisms [machinations] of the Comintern in cooperation with Germany and Italy and in accordance with the spirit of the Anti-Comintern Pact”,10 whereas the official English translation given out simultaneously by the Foreign Office states that Japan “is prepared as ever to join forces with Germany and Italy for fighting against Red operations in accordance with the spirit of the Anti-Comintern Agreement”. The discrepancy in the tone if not in the phraseology of the two versions is obvious.
- 2.
- My British colleague yesterday called the English version to the attention of the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs who denied categorically that this should be interpreted as meaning that if the Czechoslovak crisis should lead to war, Japan intended to align herself with Germany and Italy. The intention of the statement was to show that Japan as a party to the Anti-Comintern Pact was concerned in combating the Comintern activities which the Japanese Government believed to be largely responsible for present difficulties in Czechoslovakia. The Vice Minister said that the statement referred to Comintern activities only and that it would be quite wrong to give it a wider interpretation.
- 3.
- With regard to the press report of a statement allegedly given out by the Japanese Ambassador in Rome on September 16, the Vice Minister said that no instruction to that effect has been sent to the Japanese Embassy in Rome and that no report of such a step had been received from the Embassy.
- 4.
- My British colleague has informed his Government that in the event of war in Europe he does not believe that Japan will attack Soviet Russia, at least not immediately, but will await developments, meanwhile intensifying Japanese operations in China with greater ruthlessness against foreign interests.
- 5.
- Craigie believes that in case of war in Europe, Japan will carefully watch the attitude of the United States because the development which Japan would most fear would be combined action of the United States, Great Britain and Soviet Russia against her which would spell her ruin. Craigie entered a long plea during our talk today that [Page 297] we “keep Japan guessing” upon uncertainty as to possible action by the United States [which?] would exert a powerful restraint on Japanese depredations against foreign interests in China.
- 6.
- With regard to Japan’s current interference with British interests in China, the Vice Minister acknowledged that this was due not only to the present anti-British wave of feeling in Japan but also to the intrinsic military difficulties in complying with British desiderata.
- 7.
- Craigie expects to pursue his series of interviews with the Minister for Foreign Affairs later this week.
Grew