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

793.94/15230: Telegram

The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State

Shanghai, July 18, 1939—8 p.m.
[Received July 19—6 a.m.]

[From Tokyo:] 340. Department’s 202, July 15, 6 p.m.¹⁸

1. In view of the sensational assumptions which would be made by the press if I were to call on the Foreign Minister at this time, when Japanese attention is concentrated on the Anglo-Japanese conversations,¹⁹ I called today on Director of the American Bureau and left with him a copy of Chungking’s 438, July 13, noon,²⁰ which I asked be placed at once in Mr. Arita’s hands. I also read to Yoshizawa the second paragraph of the Department’s telegram under reference and asked that substance thereof be conveyed to Mr. Arita. Yoshizawa undertook to do so and to transmit to me the Foreign Minister’s observations.

2. Yoshizawa told me that the Chungking bombings were being carefully investigated and that the Japanese Ambassador at Washington would be shortly instructed to make a full statement in response to the representations made to him by the Secretary on July 10.²¹

Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.

Gauss

18. Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 662.
19. See pp. 163 ff.
20. Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 661.
21. See memorandum of July 10, Ibid., p. 656.