793.94Commission/325: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)
264. Legation’s 953, August 15, 9 a.m. With reference to the document handed to the members of the League Commission by the Japanese Assessor, the statements attributed to the Secretary differ in varying degree from the Department’s record of the statements made on August 10 to the Japanese Ambassador by the Secretary, with the consequence that the distorted version which was supplied to the Commission gives the impression that the attitude of the Secretary is more lenient toward Japanese operations in Manchuria and more strictly an expression of the Secretary’s personal opinion than is actually the fact.
In summing up his views on the Manchurian situation, the Secretary of State mentioned to the Ambassador his sympathy with Japanese rights in Manchuria, with which he asserted he had no desire to intervene. Further, the Secretary said he knew that there was no desire on the part of the United States to intrude or become a political rival of Japan in Manchuria. Whatever his own views might be, he said he had no intention of saying anything in his speech of August 8 for the purpose of annoying Japan; that on the contrary his preparation of the speech had been very painstaking in order to make certain that nothing was said in the speech which might justly cause irritation. However, the Secretary very seriously pointed out to the Ambassador his real position: namely, that the speech of August 8 was a statement of his views and those which in his opinion were the views of the people of the United States toward the Kellogg-Briand Pact; that he and the people of this country felt that this pact was of the utmost importance to the United States and to the civilized world and that in the event it came to a question between permitting the destruction of that peace treaty on the one hand and annoying Japan on the other, he would unhesitatingly, even though it caused regrettable annoyance to Japan, take his stand for the preservation of the treaty. The Secretary also called the Ambassador’s attention to the fact that in the press he had noticed that Japanese discussion had been aroused by an alleged statement which he had not made and he pointed out the fact that instead of the words “the aggressor” he had used the words “an aggressor.”
[Page 102]With regard to the foregoing information please transmit it to General McCoy orally and confidentially, and state that the Department has no objection to his communicating it orally and confidentially to the other members of the League Commission if it is his opinion that they should receive this information.