Office of the Historian

611B.9417/313

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Office of Philippine Affairs (Jacobs)

[Washington,] May 4, 1939.
Participants: Mr. Yakichiro Suma, Counselor of the Japanese Embassy
Mr. Sayre
Mr. Ballantine
Mr. Jacobs

Mr. Suma called today to communicate to Mr. Sayre orally the substance of an instruction which he had received from his Government concerning the renewal of the cotton textile agreement regulating the importation into the Philippine Islands of Japanese cotton textiles. Mr. Suma said that the Japanese Cotton Textile Association was unanimous in its desire to have this agreement renewed for another year beginning August 1, 1939 and that the Japanese Government had instructed the Embassy to convey this information to the American Government.

In reply, Mr. Sayre referred to the fact that new Philippine legislation was now under consideration in Congress and that, therefore, he could not give any definite answer as to what this Government or the American cotton textile manufacturers would wish to have done. He said that he would, however, give the matter consideration.

(Note: It will now be necessary for Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Jacobs [and also possibly Mr. Sayre]23 to discuss this matter with Dr. Murchison.24)

J[oseph] E. J[acobs]
  1. Brackets appear in the original.↩
  2. Claudius T. Murchison, president of the Cotton Textile Institute.↩