Office of the Historian

894.5151/145: Telegram

The Chargé in Japan (Dooman) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, August 1, 1939—7 p.m.
[Received August 1—9:30 a.m.]

380. Department’s 229, July 29, 3 p.m., blocked funds American President Lines.

1.
Upon the receipt of the Department’s 177, June 29, 6 p.m., the matter of the blocked funds was taken up with the Foreign Office and continually pressed. On July 20 Mr. Yoshizawa31 was handed a copy in paraphrase of the Department’s 177 with the request that he lay the matter before the Foreign Minister.
2.
Upon the receipt of the Department’s 209, July 21, 9 [4] p.m., Mr. Yoshizawa was again approached, the telegram read to him and he was informed that I proposed to see the Vice Minister32 that day regarding the matter. Mr. Yoshizawa asked that I refrain from seeing the Foreign Minister as he would give us a favorable reply that afternoon. Mr. Yoshizawa replied the same afternoon as reported in our 359, July 24, 6 p.m. The following day a member of the Foreign Office telephoned the Embassy that the Ministry of Finance was seeking some method by which the funds of the American Line could be promptly transferred. We are still awaiting information on this phase.
3.
I called this afternoon on the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and went into this matter at great length. I emphasized the importance of the President Line being permitted to remit funds promptly to the United States; I described the freedom with which Japanese steamship companies could remit to Japan their earnings in the United States; and I followed with a statement following closely along the lines of the Department’s 229. I called Sawada’s attention to the fact that the Japanese Government is expected to set up a system for the prompt remittance of earnings in Japan of American steamship companies; and I asked in conclusion that he indicate to me as soon as possible the date on which I might expect to receive a favorable reply.
4.
I also took up this matter again with Yoshizawa today making representations similar to those which I made to the Vice Minister.
Dooman
  1. Seijiro Yoshizawa, Director of American Affairs Bureau, Japanese Foreign Office.↩
  2. Renzo Sawada.↩