Office of the Historian

793.94/14215a: Telegram

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

Washington, October 25, 1938—noon.

360. I should appreciate your estimate and that of Ambassador Johnson as to the question of the bearing of the Munich agreement [Page 336] and its aftermath upon the Japanese decision to invade south China and upon manifestation by the Japanese of an increasingly truculent attitude. As indicative of such attitude reference is made inter alia (a) to recent communications from the Japanese evidencing an intention to close the Yangtze and the Pearl Rivers to all shipping57 until Japanese interests have been served and (b) to press reports from Tokyo that the Yomiuri carried in its issue of October 23 a 5-column advertisement by the Shiunso, a reactionary organization, appealing to the Japanese people to rise and “be prepared to chastise the British”. Please give outline of the reasoning upon which your estimate is based.

Repeated to Chungking.

Hull
  1. See vol. iv, pp. 143 ff.↩