701.9411/1645: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Switzerland (Huddle)
447. American interests—Japan. Your 547, February 12.20 Please inform Swiss Foreign Office for information Japanese Government that this Government is unable to understand the statement of the Japanese Government quoted in your 547. In the document quoted in Department’s 379, February 7, to you the Department informed the Spanish Embassy in charge of Japanese interests in continental United States that upon the basis of the communications exchanged between this Government and the Japanese Government it considered that agreement for the exchange of official personnel had been arrived at and that all that was needed to complete the agreement was an understanding on certain technical details necessary to give effect to the exchange. Among the technical details in question is the assembly at a central point preparatory to embarkation of the Japanese officials [Page 398] and nationals to whose repatriation this Government has agreed. Should a vessel be able to leave the United States today to bring these persons here it could not return in less than 4 weeks. It is believed that the other necessary details to be arranged preparatory to the actual exchange, including the notification to the Spanish and Portuguese Governments of the necessary assurances of safe conduct, will not require more than 2 weeks and should not, if a spirit of cooperation is exhibited, serve to delay the effectuation of the exchange.
By contrast with the attitude of the Japanese Government as exhibited in your telegram under reference, this Government has requested the French and Thai Governments to expedite the departure for Japan of the American officials in Thailand and French Indochina in order that they may embark on the exchange vessel. It likewise assumes that the Japanese Government is similarly taking steps to assemble at central points the American official personnel and American nationals to be repatriated from territory under the control of the Japanese Government. If this assumption is incorrect this Government would appreciate being informed accordingly at the earliest possible moment.
In the opinion of the United States Government the “assured success” of the exchange depends entirely upon the Japanese Government.
- Not printed; it quoted statement of Japanese Government that “officials must remain posts until Japanese Government is assured success of exchange negotiations.”↩