741.94/497
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 16.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a document entitled “Substances of Telegram to the Foreign Office dated April 11, 1941 which was furnished us by the British Embassy on April 14, 1941.65
The telegram referred to was sent by the British Ambassador66 to the Foreign Office at London and describes an interview between himself and the Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ohashi, during the course of which Sir Robert commented upon Mr. Ohashi’s recent speech before the conference of prefectural governors on April 10. (See Embassy’s telegram no. 537, April 10, 194167)
Sir Robert expressed appreciation of the Vice Minister’s reference to the need for more courtesy to foreigners and especially his exhortation to the police authorities; Sir Robert was less enthusiastic about certain other passages in the speech, notably the reference to economic [Page 814] pressure which the Vice Minister stated was being exerted upon Japan by Great Britain and the United States, and repeated his denial that such pressure existed designed primarily to interfere with Japan’s normal and legitimate peacetime industries. Sir Robert explained that the object of the economic restrictions was threefold: (a) conservation of vital war supplies; (b) prevention of contraband articles reaching Britain’s enemies; and (c) certain measures necessary for purely security purposes.
The Vice Minister replied that many of the British economic measures were not explainable on any of the grounds outlined by Sir Robert and that there was a general feeling throughout Japan that it was the deliberate intention of Great Britain and the United States so to hamper Japanese industry that it could not even engage in the normal export of goods to neutral markets.
It was agreed that the discussion should continue on some future occasion.
Respectfully yours,