811.30 Asiatic Fleet/502: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
288. The Navy Department has referred to this Department with a request for appropriate action a message from the Commander-in-Chief of the Asiatic Fleet, reading as follows:
“Necessary on account shortage fuel provisions and for relief of personnel Monocacy proceed Shanghai reference Oahu 1000 today and other despatches. Japanese Admiral refuses permission to vessel to pass down river this passage cannot conceivably interfere with Japanese military operations CinCAf21 reluctant to bring about incident by directing Monocacy to proceed without Japanese consent. Request State Department take matter up with Tokyo in order secure assent to Monocacy passage to Shanghai. Request early action.”
According to a telegram from the U. S. S. Oahu to the Commander-in-Chief, the Japanese Admiral Oikawa has referred to his notice of July 8 (see Shanghai’s 969, July 9, 2 p.m., which was repeated to you, especially numbered paragraph 3), and it would appear that the position of the Japanese authorities in regard to the right of foreign ships to traverse this section of the river is that having themselves cut a passage through the boom at Matang, the Japanese authorities have a right to close that passage to foreign vessels. This Government of course cannot admit any such right or the validity of the basis invoked in support of that asserted right.
Please urgently approach the Foreign Office in regard to this matter and ask that prompt instructions be given by the Japanese Government to the end that the opposition of the Japanese military authorities to the proposed passage of the U. S. S. Monocacy be withdrawn and appropriate facilities be extended the vessel in connection with its movement through the passage. In your approach it is suggested that you emphasize that this Government has been endeavoring to pursue a course which takes full cognizance of the fact that hostilities are in progress and which shall be in accordance with the principles of reason; that in pursuance of this course wherever possible we have informed both the Japanese and the Chinese authorities of the movements of our vessels and our vessels have sought to avoid being in areas where hostilities are in progress; and that in view of the course which we have consistently followed we feel that the Japanese authorities in their turn should meet our wishes, which are based on substantial reasons, in regard to this matter.
- Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet.↩