Office of the Historian

893.102 Tientsin/527: Telegram

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

Tokyo, November 15, 1939—5 p.m.
[Received November 15—7:31 a.m.]

603. Our 591, November 11, 2 p.m.43

1.
My British colleague told me today that in a casual meeting with the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sir Robert expressed the opinion that it would be to no purpose to consider further the latest Japanese proposals for the disposal of the silver now deposited in Tientsin because these proposals would be totally unacceptable to the British Government. Tani then said that with a view to expediting a prompt solution of the matter, which he considered very important, the Japanese Government would now be willing to agree to the sealing of the silver in the Yokohama Specie Bank for the period of the hostilities. Craigie said that he would communicate this proposal to his Government and he expressed to me the opinion that if such sealing could be effected by an international group he thought that it might be a satisfactory solution of the problem.
2.
Sir Robert then said to Tani that in his opinion Anglo-Japanese relations could not improve very much until American-Japanese relations had improved and he hoped that the Japanese Government would make every effort to bring about such improvement. Tani, according to Craigie, replied that he recognized the strength of this argument and he expected that certain constructive “proposals” would soon be presented to the American Government44 with that end in view.
Grew
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. See telegram No. 630, November 27, 7 p.m., from the Ambassador in Japan, vol. iii, p. 600 and following.↩