710.11/2525a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
247. Today’s press features a statement made by Mr. Stephen T. Early7 on behalf of the President in regard to a “Monroe Doctrine” for European and Asiatic continents. Excerpts from the New York Times article under date July 6 are as follows:
“President Roosevelt suggested today that Europe and Asia each apply the principles of the Monroe Doctrine to its own territories. Under these principles all of the European and Asiatic nations would confer and ‘make the decision—not just one conquering power. Let all of them settle their disputes in Asia and Europe and let all the Americas settle the question of disposition, administration and supervision of such islands or other territorial possessions which belonged to nations conquered by Germany and which lie properly within this hemisphere.’ …8 said Stephen T. Early. But he (the President) withdrew nothing from his statement (of) yesterday that freedom of cultural and commercial intercourse between nations was necessary for enduring world peace. …8 ‘There is an absence of any intention on the part of this Government’, said Mr Early, ‘to interfere in any territorial problems in Europe or Asia. This Government would like to see and thinks there should be applied “a Monroe Doctrine” for each of those continents. The United States is not out to gain any new territorial possessions’.”
2. The President’s statement does not imply any lessening of the interest of this Government in Far Eastern problems or in the resolving of international problems by peaceful processes on the basis of mutual consultation and negotiation. The principal point of the President’s statement is that of the nonacquisition of territory by force. The statement is not in any wise inconsistent with a fundamental feature of the Monroe Doctrine of noninterference with existing colonies and possessions in this hemisphere of European countries. [Page 390] Implicit in the President’s conception is not only the principles of nonacquisition by force and of settlement of territorial problems by mutual consultation but of freedom, equality, and fairness of commercial and cultural intercourse among nations.
Sent to Tokyo via Shanghai. Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.