893.01Manchuria/429: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 3—5:27 a.m.]
224. I cannot too strongly impress upon the Department, with reference to my letter of August 13 to the Secretary, that, regardless of foreign opposition of whatever nature, the Japanese Government firmly intends to see the Manchuria venture through. Unless prevented by superior physical force, it is determined to proceed. The conviction, furthermore, of the elements which now control the actions and policy of the Government is that their cause is just. Their determination is strengthened by this conviction. That the Japanese, as an intelligent people, can honestly credit the obviously false premise of self-determination for Manchuria is difficult to believe but there is evidence of a genuine conviction that their whole course of action in Manchuria is one of supreme and vital national interest, if not of selfdefense, and that they are prepared and determined to meet, if necessary with arms, all opposition on that basis. Little or no weight is carried by conservative statesmen. I wrote you of military preparations; these are being steadily gone on with. The Japanese regard the United States as their greatest stumbling block, although they expect the report of the Lytton Commission to be unfavorable and the action of the League of Nations to be possibly unfavorable. At present talk of friction with Soviet Russia is comparatively quiescent.
Observation and information from many sources, especially during the past few weeks, have confirmed the foregoing opinions with increasing intensity. I have been unable to discover, although I have studied the local situation carefully from all angles, any approach by which we might hope that the present Japanese intransigence might be overcome or modified. For the present it appears inevitable that we shall have to continue to face openly the conflicting principles and policies between the United States and Japan, although internal economic pressure and moral pressure from outside may in time compel modifications in Japanese policy.
The Legation at Peiping has been sent a copy of this telegram.