751G.94/124: Telegram
The Consul at Hanoi (Reed) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 19—2:40 p.m.]
My telegram September 19, 11 [10] a.m. This afternoon General Nishihara handed the Governor General a letter demanding the Japanese occupation of Hanoi (20,000 troops) and Haiphong (5,000 troops) and 5 airports (with an undisclosed number of troops); unless the demand is accepted, Japanese armed forces will invade Indochina Sunday night September 22, 10 p.m. The Governor General refused the Japanese demand as being outside the scope of the Tokyo–Vichy agreement and is preparing to resist as long as possible.87
Sent to Cavite for repetition to the Department, Chungking, Peiping, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Canton. Chungking please repeat to Kunming.
- For the Department’s instructions to the Ambassador in Japan in connection with this matter, see telegram No. 357, September 19, 9 p.m., Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. ii, p. 294; for action of the Ambassador, see his memorandum of September 20, ibid., p. 295.↩