Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1938, The Far East, Volume IV

393.115/385: Telegram

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

Washington, July 8, 1938—7 p.m.

233. Your 448, July 7, noon.⁹

1. Department is alive to the unfortunate effects of ill-advised and badly-timed publicity and welcomes the specific data and comment which you give on that subject.

2. You may in your discretion inform the Minister for Foreign Affairs substantially as follows:

We are gratified to note the statement that the Japanese authorities are all zealously working for local settlements of incidents affecting American nationals and property; we have also noted the Foreign Minister’s view that publication in the American press by the American Government of incidents which are progressing towards local settlements tends to delay such settlements.

We have noted with appreciation the Foreign Minister’s views but regret that we find unconvincing the reasons adduced for delays in making settlement of cases. In cases affecting American interests, the American Government has consistently endeavored to follow a procedure calculated to meet the situation most effectively without arousing public feeling. For this reason in regard to matters pending with the Japanese authorities it has been our practice to refrain from giving publicity to the facts and to our representations except in cases where the matters have already been given publicity elsewhere—which occurs in most instances—or in cases such as that of the University of Shanghai where the American interests concerned, because of apparent lack of progress toward a local settlement, become growingly insistent upon formal action and upon public knowledge of what is being done.

3. The press is aware that there exists a standing instruction under which the Embassy proceeds in regard to certain types of cases without express immediate instruction from Department; and some press correspondents make it their practice to write, as soon as they learn that an incident has occurred and without having any information from the Department, stories to the effect that the Embassy has made representations. We do what we can to discourage this practice.

4. The Department of course made no such statement as that quoted in the middle of your telegram’s second paragraph, and we hope that when Japanese officialdom or press give publicity or credence to press reports attributing injudicious or inept statements to the Department the Embassy will be skeptical of the accuracy thereof and will venture, when opportunity occurs, to suggest to persons who may mention and appear to rely on such reports that the reports may be inaccurate.

Hull

9. Not printed; it concerned American press statements mentioned in Ambassador Grew’s memorandum of July 4, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol.i, pp. 605, 608.