893.811/1032: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
390. Your 730, November 15, 8 p.m., freedom of navigation on Yangtze.
1. The Department approves your proposal to express orally to the Vice Minister at a favorable opportunity surprise at the discourtesy of the Foreign Office in giving to the press a summary of the Japanese note of November 1471 before the note had been delivered to you.
2. With regard to your recommendation that you address to the Minister for Foreign Affairs a further note on the subject of freedom of navigation on the Yangtze, the Department raises for your consideration the question whether the likelihood of the Japanese Government taking a favorable attitude would be improved by waiting for a short time, say about 2 weeks, before addressing a further formal communication to the Japanese Government. This interval would afford an opportunity to see whether the Japanese Government in practice modifies its attitude and to gather additional evidence in regard to the commercial use of the Yangtze by the Japanese. In the meantime, an oral rejoinder might be made promptly to the Japanese Foreign Office to the effect that the reply of the Japanese Government is unsatisfactory to this Government and that, while taking note of the assurance contained in the last paragraph of the Japanese Government’s reply of November 14, your Government considers that the seriousness of the present discrimination against American rights and interests grows greater with each day’s delay in correcting the [Page 204] situation. Under this procedure, the question of making public the texts of the communications exchanged would remain in abeyance.
The Department suggests that you discuss this procedure with your British and French colleagues. Should all of you be in agreement in reference to this procedure, you are authorized to proceed accordingly, it being understood that each of the three Ambassadors would take similar but separate action.
3. If, however, you and your colleagues are of the view that the procedure suggested in your telegram under reference would offer greater promise of favorable results, the Department authorizes you, if and when your British and French colleagues are prepared to take substantially similar but separate action, to communicate to the Japanese Foreign Office, with the same degree of formality of approach used in the presentation of your note of November 7,72 a short statement in the sense of the first and last sentences of the rejoinder suggested in your telegram under reference. The Department is of the opinion that the argumentation of the two intervening sentences should be omitted and be reserved for possible future use.
With regard to the question of publicity, the Department offers for your consideration the suggestion that you inform the Japanese Foreign Office that, in view of the fact that the Foreign Office has already released to the press the substance of the Japanese reply and in view of the resulting comment and discussion which have already appeared in the press in regard to this whole matter, we feel that the American public should be given for its information the full texts of communications in regard to this matter between the Embassy and the Japanese Foreign Office.
If and when you make formal rejoinder to the Japanese Foreign Office, please telegraph the Department the text thereof.
Repeated to Chungking and to Shanghai for the information of the Commander in Chief.