711.94/1549: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 1—2:30 p.m.]
520. Reference our telegram 615, November 21, 6 p.m.;92 633, November 27, midnight [noon?];93 650, December 2, 6 p.m., 1939.94 A completely trustworthy American citizen has recently had an interview with “Mr. X”95 in Hsinking, Manchuria, in the course of which the latter expressed views substantially as follows.
He is glad for two reasons that his previous attempt to interest the American Government failed: first, he has subsequently visited Germany, has met Hitler, Goering and the principal Nazis and has been “shown everything” by instructions of Hitler including the principal industrial plants and the most important munitions factories, where he states that he saw the secret manufacture of “two ton bombs”, because Hitler wanted an alliance with Japan and wished to influence through him Japanese financial interests which opposed the alliance; second, at that time he had nothing to offer the United States which it really needed and his effort would probably have failed. He now feels that he has something to offer which “the United States may need desperately.”
He asserts that his responsibility for developing the heavy industries of Manchuria has forced him against his desire to engage in political activities but exclusively to carry out that responsibility which requires capital given in large amounts. He recognizes that at the present time the United States is the only possible source of such capital.
[Page 377]Developing his ideas he asserted that the war may be over sooner than is generally expected, that England will probably lose but that Hitler now has all that he needs and will not push England too hard; that Germany will have all of the productive power of the conquered countries, will establish a United States of Europe and will be very strong. He believes that Germany will demand the property in the United States of the conquered countries and that if the United States refuses to deliver them it will mean war. Likewise, Germany will attempt to get the Dutch East Indies and French Indochina and as Japan is pledged not to allow this it will make trouble between the two countries. Therefore, he asserts that the United States and Japan should join for mutual safety, adding that he thinks Americans generally do not realize the peril of the present situation and that their belief that the United States will always be safe in the Far East may not prove true much longer.
His view is that the present state of affairs should be settled on a foundation of broad economic considerations. For example, a credit of a few million dollars would be a very small price to pay for assured peace in the Pacific. In this connection he asserts that he would be able to offer strong influence in various ways in United States-Japanese relations.
“Mr. X” desires to go to the United States immediately but requests that he be assured of an interview with the President. In this connection he asserts that he can and will be glad to give the President valuable first-hand information regarding conditions in Germany, and is certain that if he can see the President much good will come from it.
With reference to Department’s 381, December 1, 5 p.m., 1939, I presume that Department will desire me to discourage this renewed proposal on the part of “Mr. X”.96
Please instruct.
- Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. iii, p. 596.↩
- Ibid., p. 599.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Yoshisuke Aikawa, Japanese industrialist.↩
- Telegram No. 381 not printed; it approved the Ambassador’s effort “to discourage the proposal made to you”.↩