793.94/14951
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Chinese Ambassador92 called to see me this morning and handed me the aide-mémoire attached to this memorandum.93 The Ambassador said that he had received the first part of this aide-mémoire from his Government some days ago and that in order to assure himself that the text and translation were similar to that used by his colleague in London, he had cabled the latter and the latter part of the aide-mémoire handed to me came from the Chinese Ambassador in London.
After I had read the aide-mémoire I said that, as the Ambassador would understand, I could not at this time make any comment upon it as I would first have to consult the Secretary of State. I asked the Ambassador, however, if he would be good enough to explain to me what was meant by the phrase “parallel action” in the first point of the aide-mémoire. The Ambassador said that his interpretation of this phrase was that the Chinese Government did not propose that the United States take any military action in conjunction with China, Great Britain and France against Japan, but was intended to imply the hope that should China, Great Britain and France engage in military action against Japan, the United States would support such action by economic or financial measures.
I told the Ambassador that I should be glad to see him next week after I had consulted with the Secretary of State.