393.115 Tung or Wood Oil/232: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Hankow (Spiker)
66. Your 225, August 26, 6 p.m., and Shanghai’s 765, August 23, 4 p.m.5 Department is of the opinion that, as indicated in Shanghai’s 726, August 14, 4 p.m., emphasis should be placed primarily upon American-owned wood oil but that mention should also be made of a second category of oil covering supplies at Hankow which although [Page 452] held by non-American firms are under contract of sale for delivery to American firms. It is not the Department’s desire that in approaching the Japanese authorities in regard to this subject mention be made of non-American wood oil which if removed from Hankow might ultimately be sold to the consuming trade in the United States. In consequence, there should be included in the second category mentioned above only such oil as has been demonstrated to your satisfaction to be under definite contract of sale for delivery to American firms in the United States.
Sent to Hankow, repeated to Shanghai, Chungking and Peiping. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo.
- Latter not printed.↩