Office of the Historian

793.94112/287: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, December 21, 1939—7 p.m.
[Received December 21—1:30 p.m.]

697. Our 694, December 20, 2 p.m.22 I refer to the third of the five points enumerated to my British colleague23 by the Vice Minister24 which are to be discussed in connection with the opening of the Yangtze. Information was brought to me recently that Jardine, Matheson25 have been in touch with a number of Japanese interests concerning a Japanese proposal for pooling foreign shipping on the Yangtze, and that the former were interested in the proposals, especially if American shipping is brought into the pool. I reported the matter by despatch in view of assurances by Craigie that he had advised [Page 796] Jardine against present participation, but reference by Tani to the project indicates that it has assumed important proportions.

My despatch will go forward in the pouch leaving December 23.26

Sent to the Department, repeated to Shanghai.

Grew
  1. Not printed; it gave a paraphrase of a telegram from the British Ambassador in Japan to his Government. The substance of this telegram is given in the British Embassy’s aide-mémoire of December 26, p. 797.↩
  2. Sir Robert L. Craigie, British Ambassador in Japan.↩
  3. Masaynki Tani.↩
  4. British shipping firm in China.↩
  5. Not printed.↩