393.115/1191
The American Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (Toyoda)
My Dear Minister: In our conversation yesterday Your Excellency spoke of the Coolidge and expressed regret that it had not been found possible to arrange for her to come to Japan but, according to my understanding of what you said, it was your belief that we ourselves had wished the Coolidge to come here exclusively to embark American officials and not private American citizens. In order that there may be no misunderstanding on this point, I beg respectfully to confirm what I said to Your Excellency yesterday, namely that it had been our particular desire that the Coolidge should embark both officials and private citizens and the condition limiting the passengers exclusively to officials, if the Coolidge should call at Yokohama, had been laid down by the Japanese Government and not by us, and it was that condition by the Japanese Government that had wrecked the whole project. I feel it to be important that there should be no misunderstanding on this point.
With high respect [etc.]