893.24/1059: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Leahy)
440. The American consular representative at Hanoi reports that on May 25, 1941 French Indochinese authorities at Hanoi, under pressure from the Japanese military, ordered the American representatives of the United States Far Eastern Trading Corporation and the North American Syndicate to hand over to the French authorities for delivery by the French authorities to the Japanese military keys to the warehouses of the two companies in order that the Japanese might seize and remove from the warehouses merchandise in most of which there is a definite American interest, both official and private. Please make representations to the French Foreign Office in such manner as you may deem appropriate protesting the forced delivery of the keys in question and saying that this Government reserves in its own behalf [Page 163] and in behalf of such of its nationals as may be interested all rights in the matter.18a
- Ambassador in France transmitted to the Department in despatch No. 212, May 31 (not printed), a copy of the note delivered on May 29 to the French Foreign Office in accordance with this instruction (893.24/1095).↩