711.94/1474a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
125. A United Press despatch dated today reports that Rear Admiral Taussig, former Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, told the Senate Naval Affairs Committee that he believed a war between Japan and the United States is inevitable.
At my conference with correspondents today, in reply to a question whether I was familiar with Admiral Taussig’s statement, I said that of course this Government has well-defined attitudes and policies in its international relations as they relate to all of the important phases and that I think they are well known. I added that Admiral Taussig, who seems to have been testifying, was presumably expressing his individual views, so far as I knew. The Navy later today repudiated the entire statement and strongly disclaims having any one country in mind.24
- A Navy Department press release of April 22 gave a statement by the Chief of Naval Operations Stark that Admiral Taussig’s testimony was contrary to Navy Department views.↩