Office of the Historian

893.102 Kulangsu/264: Telegram

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

Washington, October 11, 1939—6 p.m.

310. Amoy’s October 4, noon, to Peiping.34 It is suggested that, in your discretion, you call at the Foreign Office, make inquiry as to the progress of the negotiations at Kulangsu and during the course of your conversation inquire also as to the meaning and purpose of the increase in restrictions imposed by the Japanese naval authorities at Amoy as reported in the second substantive paragraph of MacVitty’s telegram under reference.35 You may say that the imposition of more stringent restrictions during the progress of the negotiations does not seem to be consistent with the spirit of the approaches made to the Department July 5, 13 and 26 (Department’s 193, July 12, 4 p.m.; to Amoy, 24, July 14, 4 p.m.; 228, July 29, 2 p.m.) by the Counselor of the Japanese Embassy seeking to enlist the further cooperation of the American Consul in the reaching of an adjustment of the points at issue between the Municipal Council of the International Settlement at Kulangsu and the Japanese authorities. You may reiterate the Department’s position (reference Department’s 272, September 1, 5 p.m., penultimate sentence, last substantive paragraph) that we look to the Japanese authorities to take concrete reciprocal action toward removing the psychological obstacles in the way of a settlement.

Sent to Tokyo via Peiping. Repeated to Chungking and Amoy.

Hull
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. This paragraph reported “more stringent regulations” on import of food supplies from the mainland, which caused doubt that the Japanese Navy would “abide by the agreement when signed”.↩