892.00/226
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
Minister Butler and Minister Hall of the British Embassy called at their request. They took up the Thai situation and Mr. Butler handed me the attached memorandum22 and asked for cooperation on our part. I thanked them and said that, of course, this Government was very desirous of lending all practicable and feasible cooperation that would be calculated to prevent domination of the Government of Thailand by Japan, politically, economically or militarily; that I was not sure but that Japan already had full charge of Thailand in each [Page 166] of the respects mentioned; that it was never too late, however, to explore the situation and closely observe all developments in the hope that an opportunity may arise to encourage the Thai Government to assert its sovereignty in every way and that this might call for certain economic cooperation, et cetera, et cetera.
I inquired whether the British Minister to Thailand still adhered to his original views that Thailand might be reclaimed from Japanese domination, and he answered in the affirmative. He then indicated that the United States Minister to Thailand had not cooperated in a satisfactory manner with the British Minister due to a divergence of views between them. I replied that, of course, the United States Minister is as strongly against Japanese domination as the British Minister, but that he felt that Japan has a strong hold in every way on Thailand, and that to attempt to placate Thailand by approaching her as though such domination by Japan did not exist was not calculated to get results, at least for the time being.
I said that I would be glad to give careful attention to the memorandum handed to me by the British Embassy.
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