811.20 (D) Regulations/2419: Telegram
The Minister in Thailand (Grant) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 22—8:32 p.m.]
280. My telegrams 257, May 3, 4 p.m.,9 and 262, May 8, 10 a.m. The British Minister Sir Josiah Crosby has undertaken to furnish Thailand with fuel oil following a virtual ultimatum of the Thai Government officials that they would be compelled as alleged to do business with Japan trading the bulk of Thai rubber and tin for Japanese oil if the British failed to furnish the required oil. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs informed me today that the British Minister had agreed to furnish Thailand with two boat loads of oil to meet the emergency and later in the day Sir Josiah Crosby informed me that following a conference yesterday with the Thai officials he had sent an urgent telegram to London requesting reconsideration regarding the oil supplies within 48 hours. He indicated that the Thai had practically delivered an ultimatum and said he thought the situation was “very grave” and that it was “economic warfare” between Great Britain and Japan in Thailand. He said he had proposed to furnish Thailand with oil for the duration of the war although he did not know where the oil or the containers would come from. I inquired if this meant that the British Shell and the American Standard would return to the Thai market. He said he did not know, that London would decide the matter. Sir Josiah Crosby seemed to be quite jittery over the affair and referred again to the possibility of a coup d’etat which would result in placing a pro-Japanese government in power. He quoted the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs as having stated that the Japanese were charging that he, Sir Josiah Crosby, was preparing a coup d’etat in Thailand. Sir Josiah Crosby said he indicated in reply that the present Government was not all to be desired but it was preferable to that [which] might replace it. The Thai are playing the same clever game they have been playing for a long time, only now it is with Britain and Japan in lieu of Britain and France. Oil, tin and rubber are only incidental. The fundamental fact in the matter is that the Thai are ready to climb on the band wagon with the winner in this war.
- Not printed.↩