Office of the Historian

893.102 Tientsin/680: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, June 12, 1940—8 p.m.
[Received June 12—9:05 a.m.]

445. We have been informed by the British Embassy that climaxing more than a year of patient negotiations the four agreements relating to the solution of the Tientsin issue, namely, those dealing with the police, silver,30 and currency matters and the confidential record of the last conversation, were initialed this afternoon and that, contrary [Page 856] to the previous understanding, the Foreign Office proposes to issue a communiqué this evening announcing the reaching of a general understanding on this subject but without making mention of the specific agreements. The Embassy added that the agreements are to be signed in a week’s time which is expected to be a sufficient interval to allow the military gradually to relax the barrier controls and thereby “save face”.

Grew
  1. In despatch No. 566, June 14, the Ambassador in China enclosed copies of documents constituting an agreement between the British and Chinese Governments as to the deposit of the silver at Tientsin (893.102 Tientsin/695).↩