893.01/903: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 4—5 a.m.]
802. Embassy’s telegram 799, July 2, 8 p.m. We called this morning on Ostrorog, who is Acting Chief of the Far Eastern Division during the continued serious illness of Chauvel, to ask further details of Admiral Darlan’s interview with the Japanese Ambassador and French policy with respect to the Nanking régime.
Ostrorog said that when Ambassador Kato had made his request for French recognition of Nanking, Admiral Darlan had replied as follows:
[Page 523]Such recognition would of course involve an immediate break with Chiang Kai Shek and would create a number of serious problems for the French in the Far East. He did not, furthermore, believe that such a move was really in Japan’s interest.
He reminded the Japanese Ambassador that there are large numbers of Chungking troops concentrated on the frontiers of Indochina and presumably they would immediately invade that colony. This in turn would presumably result in further military action on the part of the Japanese at a time when they are facing substantial difficulties both military and economic elsewhere. Such Chinese invasion would presumably result in cutting off the rice supplies of Indochina which are so essential to feed the Japanese people. Furthermore a break between Soviet Russia and Japan seems more than possible and Japanese relations with the Dutch East Indies are, to say the least, delicate. Darlan did not see therefore that the creation of a further problem in Indochina is in the interest of Japan itself.
According to our informant, Ambassador Kato made no attempt to reply and there the matter stands for the moment. It seems probable, however, that the Japanese, he said, will exert further pressure to obtain recognition of Nanking and how long a time the French can hold out he does not know. He denied that there has yet been any German pressure for such recognition but admitted the likelihood that the Nazis would soon throw their weight behind the Japanese request. He promised to endeavor to let us know as soon as there is likelihood of a change in French policy and assured us that all of the “permanent personnel” both of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Colonies is strongly opposed to recognition of Nanking. We emphasized to him also the very unfavorable effect which such recognition would have in the United States and of the possible consequences of such a move for the future status of Indochina. He, like Rochat, assures that the French authorities are well aware of this factor in the situation, adding that it constitutes one of the principal reasons for not wishing to recognize Wang Ching Wei.
He likewise expressed the belief that Japan would break relations with the Soviet régime in the near future. Whether this break will result in any military action in the Far East he does not know; he feels sure that pressed as they are in the west the Russians will take no initiative in that area, but he also has a belief that Japan may well wait to see how the Russo-German war as well as the general world military trend develops before making any active move. If the Russian régime shows signs of crumbling, he considers a Japanese attempt to seize Vladivostok is quite probable.
He said (as does everyone here) that it is very difficult to obtain any clear picture of Russo-German military operations. Unlike many [Page 524] others, however, he feels that the Russians are putting up a good fight and are not showing signs of disintegration.
He knows from his experience in Russia that preparations have long been made for retirement of a good portion of the army to the region of the Urals and if they can do so and destroy their crops according to plan, he says the Germans will not be happy. He said that propaganda put out by the German Embassy in Paris claimed that the fighting would be over in 8 days and that Hitler would be in Moscow last Sunday.18 This he remarked has not been accomplished and the German communiqués seem to show greater resistance than they expected.
Speaking personally he said he feels quite sure that the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Russia was in fact due to German pressure in one form or another. He added: “We know very little that goes on in these Paris talks”.
Repeated to Algiers.
- June 29.↩