751G.94/108: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 16—2 p.m.]
847. Under instructions from his Government, the British Ambassador this afternoon discussed with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Japanese demands upon Indo-China.
With some indignation the Minister rejected the supposition that Japan was pressing France and Indo-China to adopt measures which they would refuse to consider if it were not for their present difficulties. The Minister averred that several weeks ago an agreement [Page 119] with the Government of Vichy had been reached through friendly negotiation and according to the agreement the French and Japanese authorities on the spot were to work out certain details. Difficulties in arranging these details had arisen, the Minister said, because the Governor of Indo-China appeared to be unwilling to obey the instructions of his home government in carrying out the terms of the definite agreement [which his?] government had subscribed. It is still Mr. Matsuoka’s hope that the matter will be arranged satisfactorily but if the instructions of their own government should continue to be disregarded by the Indo-China authorities, it is deemed the Japanese Government might be obliged to take “some effective steps”.
The Foreign Minister then said that while he had not desired to raise the matter on his own initiative, the fact that Sir Robert Craigie had broached this general subject led the Minister to say that according to reliable authority the American, British and Chinese consular representatives in Indo-China were all encouraging the Governor-General in his procrastinating policy. The Minister felt that because this action encouraged the local authorities to avoid honoring an agreement to which the Japanese Government was a party, a most regrettable situation had thereby arisen.
The Ambassador said that he was not aware of the terms of the agreement with the French Government and he felt sure that the British Consul General was not recommending that the local authorities disobey their instructions from Vichy. Nevertheless, such information concerning the Japanese demands as had come to him led him to believe that those demands clearly envisaged a modification in the status quo to which Mr. Matsuoka’s predecessor had so recently pledged himself. British interests in the Far East might thereby be profoundly affected, and if the opinion of British Consular Officers had been invited it was perfectly reasonable that they should have expressed their disapproval of any such demands.
The Minister replied that far from contemplating any modification of the status quo the Japanese Government had ensured the status quo by guaranteeing the integrity of Indochina under the terms of the agreement. The Minister consequently was at a loss to understand the grounds of the British complaint considering that the French Government had freely agreed to afford certain military facilities to Japan, which were to be strictly limited to the period of hostilities, as part of Japan’s prosecution of the campaign against Chiang Kai-shek.
The Ambassador replied that Mr. Matsuoka would surely agree that any government was fully justified in protesting if two other governments entered into an agreement which adversely affected the [Page 120] interests of the third government. Once again the Minister emphatically denied that there was any question of modifying the status quo or that any British interest was affected.
Sent to the Department. Repeated to Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Chungking.