793.94/14188
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)
The Portuguese Minister called at his request. He said that he had received a telegram from his Foreign Office stating that the Portuguese Government had received at Tokyo a communication from the Japanese Government stating that the Japanese Government had decided to conduct military operations in south China and that the Japanese Government would respect the rights and interests of third powers. The Minister said that his Government had assumed that we had received a similar communication. I replied in the affirmative.11 The Minister then said that the Portuguese Government would like to exchange views with this Government in regard to the matter; that the Portuguese Government had of course a special interest because of Macao; that the Portuguese Government desired if possible to have any action taken by it conform to any action taken by other powers, always keeping in mind, however, that the position of the Portuguese Government might be special because of Macao. The Portuguese Minister did not state, however, that his Government had decided to take any action in the matter. He asked whether I could give him an indication of our views.
I said that the note which had been presented to our Embassy in Tokyo conformed to the general outline of the communication received by the Portuguese Government, as described by him. I said that at the end of the note received by us there was an indication that we might expect to receive a further communication particularizing [Page 496] the measures which the Japanese Government desired be taken. I said that we had just received from our Embassy at Tokyo the text of an additional note which the Japanese Foreign Office had sent to our Embassy12 but that we had not yet had time to study this second note.
I told the Portuguese Minister that over the period of the past year we had received a number of such communications from the Japanese Government and that we had several times informed the Japanese Government of our general position, namely, that although American nationals were under no obligation to take precautionary measures, American officials had consistently advised such nationals to take precautionary measures; that many Americans had withdrawn from dangerous areas; that American nationals had placed identifying marks on their properties; that the location of the properties had been communicated to the Japanese; but that whether or not American nationals took such precautionary measures, this Government would be obliged, in case there occurred injury or damage to American nationals or their property resulting from Japanese military operations, to hold the Japanese Government responsible therefor. I told the Minister that after we had given consideration to the two notes which we had received in Tokyo from the Japanese Government, I would expect to inform him of our views in regard thereto.
October 15, 1938.
Note: I telephoned the Portuguese Minister this morning and informed him of the substance of the Department’s telegram to Tokyo No. 354, October 14, 7 p.m.13 The Minister thanked me for this information and said that if he heard anything further from his Government in regard to the matter, he would let me know.
- See telegram No. 657, October 12, 10 a.m., from the Ambassador in Japan, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 476.↩
- See telegram No. 664, October 13, 4 p.m., from the Ambassador in Japan, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 623.↩
- Not printed, but see telegram No. 671, October 16, 3 p.m., from the Ambassador in Japan, ibid., p. 625.↩