Office of the Historian

894.24/1428: Telegram

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

Tokyo, June 9, 1941—4 p.m.
[Received June 10—10:10 p.m.]

793. The British Ambassador has received a telegram from the British Minister at Bangkok, dated June 4, summarized as follows:

Japan has been allotted 30,000 tons of rubber by the Thai Government, which is willing to allot the remaining 18,000 tons to Malaya providing the export of tin remains uncontrolled.

The Minister accordingly suggests that Malaya cease supplying rubber to Japan and that shipments from the Netherlands Indies be reduced to the absolute minimum. He understands that the Netherlands Government has decided on the quantity to be given Japan34 [Page 174] and is about to inform the Japanese Government, but that there is still time to seek a reduction in the figure on the basis of the Thai attitude. He suggests that London consult the Netherlands Government and that the British Consul General at Batavia urgently inform Van Mook.

Sent to the Department via Shanghai.

Grew
  1. On June 5, the Netherland Minister informed the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck) that the amount of rubber offered to Japan for the rest of 1941 would be 5,000 tons (756D.94/177).↩