711.94/1380: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
399. Embassy’s 673, December 11, 1 p.m. The Department has carefully weighed the recommendations contained in your telegram. We concur fully in your view in regard to the desirability of keeping before the Japanese authorities the attitude and position of this Government and our opinion that the actual results of the efforts of the Japanese Government up to the present time involve only limited categories of outstanding problems.
However, we are inclined to the view that there is no call for this Government to take and that it would be tactically disadvantageous for it to take, at this time, an initiative toward presenting to the Japanese Government our views on these general questions. The comments contained in the Department’s 392, December 8, 8 p.m.,30 were intended to be suggestive in character and of possible assistance to you in informal conversations with Foreign Office officials. We therefore offer for your consideration the suggestion that the comments contained in our 392, December 8, 8 p.m., be used as under instruction of this Government when occasion arises in the course of conversations with Foreign Office officials other than the Foreign Minister or in the course of any conversation with the Foreign Minister which has not been arranged at your instance and for this specific purpose.
Our 389, December 8, 5 p.m.,31 contemplated written acknowledgement of the receipt of recent Foreign Office replies relating to specific claims. In order to guard against any impression on the part of [Page 617] the Japanese that such replies are regarded by us as satisfactory or as indicative of a satisfactory attitude on their part toward the question of claims, we consider that acknowledgment along the lines suggested would be advisable. In that connection the observations contained in our 390, December 8, 6 p.m.,32 might be helpful if conveyed informally upon appropriate occasions.