894.20211 Tachibana, Itaru/6–1941
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Japanese Ambassador called to see me today at his request.
The Ambassador said he had called solely to express his own deep personal gratitude for the position which had been taken by Secretary Hull and by myself in the case of Lieutenant Commander Tachibana. The Ambassador said that the leniency shown by the United States Government in this case would be deeply appreciated by the whole Japanese Navy and he was sure that it would have a most helpful effect upon the general situation at this moment. He said he had been informed of the conversation which the Counselor of his Embassy had had the day before with Mr. Hamilton, at my suggestion, and that Mr. Hamilton’s observations had already been transmitted by him to his Government and he trusted that his Government would respond in a generous and satisfactory way to the action taken by the United States.
The Ambassador again said that I could be confident that the Japanese Navy desired friendly and peaceful relations with the United States upon a solid and permanent foundation. I said that from the time of my residence in Tokyo twenty-seven years ago, it had always been my own hope that friendly and peaceful relations could be maintained between our two countries and that our two countries would cooperate towards the continued maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
The Ambassador referred to his conversations with Secretary Hull and said in general terms that he now felt decidedly optimistic as to the successful conclusion of these conversations. I expressed my gratification upon learning his opinion.