711.942/389: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
Tokyo, December
19, 1939—7 p.m.
[Received December 19—9:40 a.m.]
[Received December 19—9:40 a.m.]
691. Yoshizawa called Dooman in today in order to clarify certain points which arose in the course of my conversation yesterday with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, as follows.
- 1.
- Mention is made in the penultimate sentence of the Foreign Minister’s pro memoria to “formalities” (see our 687, December 18, 10 p.m.41). One of the formalities which will require time is the obtaining by the Japanese Government of the Privy Council’s informal assent before concluding a modus vivendi. As the protracted new year holidays will intervene before the expiration of the current Treaty of Commerce, the desire of the Japanese Government that conversations be initiated prior to the Christmas holidays will be understood.
- 2.
- A draft of a modus vivendi has already been telegraphed textually to the Japanese Embassy at Washington which is now in a position to receive inquiries from the Department with regard to procedural and other matters relating to the proposed modus vivendi.
- 3.
- My interview yesterday with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I had commented adversely on the offers made by the Japanese Consulate General at Shanghai for payments against American claims for damages (see paragraph 3 of my 685 [688], December 18, 11 p.m.). [Page 624] The seeking by the Japanese Consulate General of acceptance by the respective American claimants of the Japanese offers before approach was made to the American Consulate General was “unauthorized and unfortunate”. Such method created the impression that the Japanese offers were intended to be substantially final whereas as stated in paragraph numbered 1 of the above mentioned pro memoria they are open to revision. Such revision would be made upon re-examination of present evidence or in the light of any further evidence on Japanese responsibility for damages which might be put forward in each case.
Grew