751G.94/403: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:20 p.m.]
1509. We presented to Foreign Office on December 7 a note requesting the information contained in your 897, December 6, 3 p.m. Last evening Ostrorog brought a verbal reply saying that France and Japan had agreed to keep terms of military accord secret and therefore was unable to reply by written note but that in view of Japan’s “bad faith” they felt free to keep us verbally informed of developments.
He stated that the French and Japanese were in disagreement and had been having discussions for some time concerning the number of Japanese troops allowed in Indochina. While there had never been any limitation on the number of Japanese troops in Southern Indochina, the French took the position that in Northern Indochina (Tonkin area) the terms of the accord of September 22, 1940 were still binding (i. e., a total of 25,000 troops; 6,000 in garrison and balance in transit). The Japanese however took the view that the agreement of July 29, 1941 (the military protocol of which he said had never been signed) placed no limitation on Japanese troops anywhere in Indochina. He said that the latest French information is that 26,000 troops are in the Tonkin area and 36,000 in the southern, making a total of 62,000. (Others place the estimate considerably higher.) He said that Arsène-Henry was being instructed by cable to make strong protest against increased number in northern Indochina which now was in excess of 25,000 and obtain a statement of Japan’s exact aims there.
Ostrorog promised to keep us informed of developments.
This information was given to us prior to news of Japanese attack on Hawaii and Philippines. This morning we saw him again but he could give us no information as to what position the French Government would take. He referred to France’s difficult position in Indochina with complete Japanese occupation, and added that the question was being “seriously studied at this moment.”