893.00/14478
Memorandum by the Ambassador in Japan (Grew) of a Conversation With the British Ambassador in Japan (Craigie)87
Sir Robert, while returning my call today, said he thought that my speech before the America-Japan Society would be helpful to British as well as to American interests. He congratulated me on the speech.
He spoke at length on the developing situation in China. From the information which has reached him he believes that Chiang Kai-shek is moving steadily closer to Soviet Russia and he feels that western interests in the Far East have even more to lose through Soviet penetration into China than through Japanese penetration. There may even be a risk of some eventual understanding between Japan and Soviet Russia for the apportionment of China in spheres of influence between those two countries.
Meanwhile Wang Ching-wei appears to be emerging as a possible national nucleus in China. Sir Robert understands that Wang is by no means subservient to the Japanese and he believes that if Wang can succeed in gathering sufficient influence and support among the Chinese, as now seems possible, to establish a new regime in Central China, he will not permit the Japanese to use him as a puppet. Therefore, in case Wang should really emerge as a new leader, it is important that the democracies and the press of the democratic countries should not treat him with derision and should not close the door to possible relations’ with him in future. He pointed out that the Nine Power Treaty applies to China as a whole and that if an effective new regime emerges which might eventually prove to be of preponderant influence in China, we should not be estopped from dealings with that regime through any political technicalities. After [Page 300] all, new regimes or governments had emerged in other countries and in due course had been recognized as the true representatives of the country. Sir Robert realizes that we cannot yet foresee what is going to happen and that it is much too soon to pin any faith on Wang, but he believes there are possibilities that Wang may eventually prove to be the real solution of the Chinese problem and that for that reason we should avoid discrediting him in advance and should take no steps, especially in our press, to incur his enmity. He said that the French Ambassador concurs in this view and he hoped that the three of us might consider sending some sort of recommendations along those lines to our respective Governments.
I said in reply that I would be glad to have all this in mind and that if he should draft some communication on this subject to his Government it would interest me to see it,88 but I thought the time was by no means ripe for such a move at present. We must watch and await developments. I also pointed out that the American press is independent and will arrive at its own conclusions. Sir Robert acknowledged this fact but thought that even the American press is not averse to occasional steers from the Government. I added that according to my own information, Chiang Kai-shek is optimistic and has every intention of pursuing the hostilities to what he feels will be a successful outcome.