793.94/14281a: Telegram

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

375. 1. The press of last night and this morning carries the text of a statement made public by the Japanese Government in regard to the situation in the Far East. The opening paragraph of the statement reads as follows:

“By the august virtues of His Majesty our naval and military forces have captured Canton and the three Wuhan cities; all other vital areas in China have fallen into our hands.”

The concluding paragraph reads as follows:

“Such the Government declares to be the immutable policy and the determination of Japan.”

The Department desires to receive from you at the earliest possible moment a brief telegram reporting whether the Japanese Government issued such a statement and by whom or from what Government agency it was issued.84

2. The press today also carries reports of a speech by the Prime Minister in which the Prime Minister is said to have maintained a [Page 361] close parallel with the Government statement on Chinese policy. Please telegraph the Department promptly the significant passages in the Prime Minister’s speech.85

Hull
  1. For text of statement by the Japanese Government, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 477.
  2. For text of speech, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 478.