Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, The Far East; The Near East and Africa, Volume IV

893.102 Kulangsu/168: Telegram

Tokyo , June 12, 1939—1 p.m.
[Received June 12—10:49 p.m.]

269. Department’s telegram No. 155, June 7, 7 p.m., situation at Kulangsu.

1.: During a conversation on June 10 with the Vice Minister,9 I brought up the difficulties gratuitously created by the attitude of the [Page 124] Japanese authorities (I did not reference [refer?] to other phases of the situation as I had not had an opportunity to consult with British and French Ambassadors). I said that the predisposition of the Japanese to emphasize readiness to resort to coercive measures was the principal impediment to adjustment of problems of intrinsically small importance. Sawada said that the Japanese Consul General at Amoy is returning to Tokyo for instructions and he gave assurance that the Japanese would take no action calculated to worsen the situation before the Consul General gets back to Amoy.
2.: Neither the British Ambassador nor the French Ambassador has approached me with regard to this matter.
3.: In view of these assurances, I believe that more good would result in this instance and for the time being from continued independent American representations than from representations concerted with the British and French.

Repeated to Chungking, Peiping and Amoy.

Dooman