740.0011 European War 1939/13835: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 10—6:30 a.m.]
1461. The Japanese Ambassador called on me this morning. I received the impression that the principal purpose of his call was to endeavor to ascertain what assistance the United States contemplates rendering the Soviet Union. In response to his approaches along this line I made it clear that I would furnish no information as to the nature and extent of American aid to the Soviet Union and in order to discourage future inquiries of the same nature intimated that information of this character constitutes a military secret.
[Page 1016]With respect to Japanese-Soviet relations the Ambassador stated that while no conversations are taking place in Moscow he understood that the Soviet Ambassador in Tokyo had recently renewed his inquiry of the Japanese Foreign Minister as to whether there has been any change in the Japanese attitude toward the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact and that he had been assured that there has been no change and that there will be no change “as long as the Soviet Government remains neutral in spirit.” When I asked Tatekawa for his interpretation of the phrase “neutral in spirit”, he replied: “I suppose our Foreign Office wanted to qualify its statement that there was no change.”
Insofar as concerns reports of a substantial increase in the number of Japanese troops in Manchuria the Ambassador said the increase had not been so great as rumors would indicate as there had also been a withdrawal of forces in order to grant leave to large numbers of men. Tatekawa stated that he doubts that Japan intends to attack the Soviet Union in the immediate future.
The Ambassador remarked that he believes Britain contemplates taking action in Iran, and in this connection stated that the Soviet Government has refused to grant travel permits to members of his staff desiring to visit Iran in view of which his Government probably will retaliate by withholding transit permits from Soviet diplomats desiring to pass through Japan. He complained that the Soviet Government has persistently refused to accede to his requests for transit visas for Japanese desiring to return to Japan from Europe by way of the Soviet Union.
Tatekawa made no comment on the Soviet-German conflict other than to say that Oshima, the Japanese Ambassador at Berlin (whom he described as very pro-Nazi), had been permitted by the Germans to visit Smolensk within the last few days. He stated that all trade be-between Japan and Germany had ceased.
Repeated to Tokyo.