Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The Far East, Volume IV

393.115/1019: Telegram

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

Tokyo, November 6, 1940—noon.
[Received November 6—6:45 a.m.]

1104. Department’s 368, September 27, 6 p.m., fourth substantive paragraph.

1. In view of recent recrudescence of Japanese bombing attacks on American property in China and the further endangering of American lives, I feel that in my next interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs it would be well to tell him in the course of conversation and as on my own initiative that my Government might feel obliged in the near future to publish full information with regard to these and previous bombings in accordance with the long established practice of the American Government. I would then proceed along the further lines of the Department’s instruction.

2. Instead, however, of presenting our Government’s proposed action as a final and irrevocable decision, I would be inclined in the first instance to indicate that the proposed publication of the facts would be conditional upon future developments. Should the Minister characterize such a statement as a threat, the logical reply would be that such an alleged threat was scarcely to be compared not only with the constant threat than [from?] their Japanese aviation over the heads of American nationals and property in China but with the hard reality of American lives actually taken by the Japanese military there as well as the stubborn fact of the innumerable instances of wanton destruction of important American property in China by Japanese aviators. Might not such a conditional approach be more likely to exert a deterrent effect than would an outright unconditional announcement of our intention to publish the documents mentioned by the Department?

3. If the Department concurs, this approach could properly be made when I see the Minister in connection with the shooting of the China National Aviation Corporation plane (our 1103, November 5, 8 p.m.⁴⁹).

4. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has just invited me to come and see him “for a cup of tea” on Friday, November 8, at 4 p.m.

5. Please instruct.⁵⁰

Grew

49. Not printed; for the Ambassador’s note No. 1678, November 8, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. i, p. 700.
50. The Department approved the proposed procedure in telegram No. 454, November 7, 9 p.m. (not printed), and the Ambassador reported his interview with Minister Matsuoka in telegram No. 1125, November 11, noon, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. i, p. 702.