751G.94/25: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
144. Your 393, August 12, 9 a.m., and 394, August 12, 10 a.m.
1. It is suggested that you orally and confidentially inform Dr. Wang that the Department has acknowledged your telegram communicating [Page 74] the text of his letter to you and has replied to you substantially as follows:30
“Our Ambassador to Tokyo, under instruction, recently called on the Japanese Foreign Minister,31 referred to the Secretary of State’s statements of April 17 and May 11 in which there was set forth the belief of this Government that alteration of the status quo of the Netherlands East Indies or intervention in their domestic affairs would be prejudicial to the cause of stability, peace and security in the entire Pacific area, mentioned also this Government’s observation in those statements that this belief was based on a doctrine which has universal application and for which the United States unequivocally stands, stated that this belief and this observation naturally apply also to Indochina, and added that this Government is accordingly seriously perturbed in regard to various reports carried by news agencies to the effect that secret demands on the French in regard to French Indochina have been made by Japan.”
Sent to Chungking. Repeated to Peiping. Peiping repeat to Tokyo.