Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The Far East, Volume IV

740.0011 European War 1939/13190: Telegram

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

Tokyo, July 16, 1941—2 p.m.
[Received July 16—9:10 a.m.]

1008. For the Acting Secretary. Department’s 384, July 10, 5 p.m.

1. As the Foreign Minister is ill and is still confined to his bed I saw the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs³³ today and conveyed to him orally and in strict confidence all of the points outlined in the Department’s telegram under reference and telegrams referred to therein.

2. The Vice Minister, after carefully considering my statement,³⁴ asked whether he was justified in assuming that the statement meant that the United States might shortly declare war on Germany. I replied that I could not authorize him to read into the statement anything beyond its actual contents. With reference to the antepenultimate sentence taken from the Department’s 312, June 6, 6 p.m.,³⁵ the Vice Minister asked whether this reference was aimed at Japan. I replied that the reference was aimed at no particular country but only at countries “where the shoe fits.”

3. The Vice Minister said that he would bring my statement to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs as embodying the reply of my Government to the inquiry contained in the final paragraph of the message of the Foreign Minister of July 7 [8].³⁶

Grew

33. Chuichi Ohashi.
34. For text, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. ii, p. 509.
35. Ante, p. 254.
36. See statement handed the Ambassador in Japan on July 8, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. ii, p. 503.