793.94/15366: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 10—5 a.m.]
475. The Counselor of the Japanese Embassy called on me late yesterday afternoon and handed me a copy of the statement contained in Tokyo’s #458, September 5, 7 p.m. to Department.12 The Counselor stated that the copy was furnished under instructions from his Government.13 He remarked that he hoped that it would be understood that the Japanese Government had no intention of taking advantage of the European situation and that the advice looking to the withdrawal of the British and French troops from the Concession and Settlement areas was intended as a precautionary measure against possible trouble between the Japanese and British and French. He remarked further that troops might get out of control as the result of some more or less minor incident. He stated that whereas difficulties between soldiers of the British and Japanese forces have heretofore been amicably settled (these having been settled by him during the past week) he was not so certain that further incidents of this kind could be adjusted inasmuch as the new situation growing out of [Page 240] the war had made the soldiers less amenable to discipline and more apt to create disturbances. My only comment was that it seemed to me the responsible officers could be depended on to control their men and that both officers and men should be even more anxious than before to maintain peace and order in the neutral areas. He stated that the Japanese were quite prepared to guarantee the maintenance of peace and order and that there was no disposition to oppress Britain and France.
Repeated to Chungking, code by air mail to Tokyo.
- Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. ii, p. 9.↩
- Similar Japanese notices were given American consular officers at Hankow, Shanghai, and Tsingtao.↩