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Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)
During the course of a call Mr. Morishima, Counselor of the Japanese Embassy, said that he thought that a new central régime would be set up very soon under Wang Ching-wei and that entirely harmonious relations existed between the present régime at Peiping and the present régime at Nanking. He stated that the new central régime would not be a puppet régime, as some Americans seem to think, but would be a fully independent and well-established government.
I asked Mr. Morishima how long he thought the new régime or the present régimes at Peiping and at Nanking would last if the Japanese armed forces should be withdrawn from China today. Mr. Morishima replied that he thought it would probably be necessary, from the point of view of combating communist activities, for the Japanese forces to remain at certain points in China for a certain period of time. He said that he thought that Wang Ching-wei’s government would make a request of the Japanese Government that the Japanese Government keep Japanese armed forces at such points for a period of time. I inquired whether Mr. Morishima thought that Mr. Wang Ching-wei would make such a request of the Japanese Government or whether the Japanese Government would suggest to Mr. Wang Ching-wei that he make such a request.
When Mr. Morishima referred to “Manchukuo” and to the fact that our consular officers there took matters up with the authorities of the “Manchukuo” régime, I asked Mr. Morishima whether he thought that the “Manchukuo” régime would last if Japan should withdraw its armed forces from Manchuria. Mr. Morishima replied that Japan had signed a treaty with “Manchukuo” providing for the stationing of Japanese troops in Manchuria. I said that I was aware of that fact but that I still raised the question whether any régime should be regarded as a government when and if it had to depend upon the presence of the military forces of a foreign country to sustain itself.