393.115 Tung or Wood Oil/240: Telegram
The Consul General at Hankow (Spiker) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 7—9:40 a.m.]
Wood oil at Hankow. Written confirmation was received today in a letter September 5 signed by the Japanese Acting Consul General [at] Hankow of the oral notification referred to in my telegram 227, August 31,6 p.m.6 The letter states
“The Japanese Government has decided to facilitate the shipment of all wood oil belonging to American firms existing in Hankow. Upon [Page 453] the necessity to confirm the ownership of wood oil I also request that a complete record of all documents pertaining to the ownership of said product be presented at your earliest convenience.”
It further states
“This shipment of wood oil is facilitated under the understanding that this case shall not be made the precedent to future shipments and that as all wood oil should have been exported under the present facilitations offered, further requirements on this matter shall not be presented hereafter”.
- 2.
- It is noted that above letter refers to shipment of “all wood oil belonging to American firms existing in Hankow.” Japanese Consulate General, however, orally expressed a desire for figures for both categories of oil mentioned in Shanghai’s 765, August 23, 4 p.m.7
- 3.
- Japanese Consulate General has been informed today that the desired information is being sought from American Consulate General at Shanghai since certain firms concerned have representatives only in that city. All information available to this office is indicated in my September 1, 9 a.m. to Shanghai.7
Sent to Shanghai, repeated to Chungking, Peiping. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo.