892.24/88: Telegram
The Minister in Thailand (Peck) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 26—6:47 p.m.]
534. Department’s 153, November 22, 3 p.m.
1. I informed the Minister for Foreign Affairs today of the Department’s replies to the Thai requests. He said that the Minister in Washington had reported the American offer of supplies after invasion but observed that China’s situation was very different from that of this country.
2. The Foreign Minister told me very confidentially that he had said frankly to the British Minister that the fate of certain small countries in Europe had lessened the confidence of his Government in British promises of joint action in the event of a Japanese invasion and that he had pressed for a formal statement from the British Government. I thought it advisable to observe that while I had no official information concerning the Department’s conversations with the Japanese Ambassadors I have decided enough had been published to show that the American Government was seeking to curb Japanese expansion and that success in this effort would obviously be to the advantage of Thailand.
I recalled also the American Government had been crediting in [credited with?] respecting the Government’s policy of neutrality.
3. There is evidence of a growing sentiment in the Government in favor of linking Thailand with the democracies against Japan. Two radio political commentators publicly known to speak for the Premier recently announced that if Thailand were invaded it would have friends and would welcome their aid. Berrigake, United Press representative, informed me that the Director of Publicity even authorized him to assert that if Great Britain and the United States publicly asserted an intention to support this country against invasion Thailand would join the so-called ABCD46 group at once. I am informed this material has not been used.
- American-British-Chinese-Dutch.↩