390.1115A/358a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Thailand ( Grant )12
29. 1. The Department on February 11 instructed its officers in Japan, China, Hong Kong and French Indochina to renew, immediately and quietly (and with effort to avoid any sensational publicity) to American citizens, especially women and children and men whose continued presence in those areas is not highly essential, this Government’s suggestions made early in October 194013 that they withdraw to the United States. The officers were instructed to explain to American citizens that this Government is making no assumption that a situation of acute physical danger to American nationals in those areas is imminent, but that this Government, in the light of obvious trends in the Far Eastern situation, desires to reduce the risk to which American nationals and their interests are exposed by virtue of uncertainties; that similarly the Government desires to improve its position in relation to problems which may at any time be presented of affording maximum appropriate protection to those persons who are not in position to withdraw, to those interests which cannot be abandoned, and to those principles and those rights to which it is the duty of the American Government to give all appropriate support at all times.
The instructions in question and the advice to be given under them were not meant to be alarmist, but were a further and necessary precautionary measure. It was explained in the instructions that we do not wish to impose unnecessary hardships upon any American nationals, but we ask that American nationals in the areas in question should realize that there are real risks, that we wish to reduce these risks, and that the advice embodied in the instructions was being given in the interests both of the safety and convenience of the American nationals addressed and in the interest of national security.
2. In view of the continuance of an abnormal situation in the Far East and in the light of various developments in that situation, the Department believes that American citizens in Thailand should take cognizance of the suggestions and advice given to American citizens in other Far Eastern areas as described above. You are accordingly instructed, quietly and with effort to avoid publicity and to preclude the reading into your action of sensational implications, to acquaint American citizens of the categories mentioned now in Thailand with the nature of the renewed suggestions and advice recently communicated to American citizens in Japan, China, Hong Kong and French Indochina, and to suggest that American citizens in Thailand of the [Page 405] categories mentioned consider returning, so far as practicable, to the United States.
As the suggestions and advice in question constitute at the present time no more than “suggestions and advice”, the determination by American citizens of the specified categories whether they will return to the United States is, of course, left in their discretion. That is, action taken under this instruction should not be construed as a “warning” to those American citizens that they withdraw from your area or as an “urging” by the Government that they do so.
3. The Department does not contemplate sending from the United States a special vessel or special vessels to assist in the withdrawal, and American nationals who make inquiry in this particular connection should be advised to take advantage of such transportation facilities as may be currently available.
- The Department, in telegram No. 37, March 7, 6 p.m., requested repetition of this telegram to the Consul at Rangoon.↩
- See telegram No. 381, October 6, 1940, 2 p.m., to the Ambassador in Japan, Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. iv, p. 932.↩