711.942/177: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Japan (Dooman)

223. At my press conference today I stated in reply to a question by a correspondent as to what will be the next step as to the formulation of a new treaty that “Of course, you will observe the implications from the express provisions of the note in this respect”. In reply to a request for further details I stated: “They would be determined according to developments during the next 6 months on phases of that question.” I added that “During the next 1, 2, 4, and 6 months we will be able to work this out as developments occur, perhaps more satisfactorily than it can be taken up at the present moment.” A correspondent observed that there is present in this situation the implication that perhaps some political issues in the Far East are involved in the cancellation of this treaty and asked whether there must be settled certain outstanding political differences or an agreement reached as a prerequisite to a new treaty. I stated “I would like to say as I said in the beginning and I repeat that for the present this notice, which is couched in well-understood, well-established terms so far as the meaning is concerned, should best be allowed to speak for itself.”

In reply to a question in regard to your call at the Foreign Office, I said that “I got the impression that there was nothing tangible that came out of the call itself” and that we had received no tangible reaction at this stage from the Japanese. To a question as to whether I had discussed with the Secretary of the Treasury61 the situation in regard to a reported announcement by the Secretary of the Treasury that he was going to review all the use of Japanese imports of gold and silver and other imports into this country, presumably in the light of this notification, I replied that I had not gone into those matters with him.

Hull
  1. Henry Morgenthau, Jr.