793.94/15351: Telegram
The Chargé in Japan (Dooman) to the Secretary of State
463.…
(2) As the Japanese Foreign Minister this afternoon received all chiefs of mission in turn, interviews were necessarily very brief. The Foreign Minister expressed regret that Japanese-United States relations are not marked by the mutual friendship and confidence which he would desire for them and that incidents arousing American feeling against Japan had occurred in spite of the Japanese Government’s efforts to prevent injury to American interests in China. He stated that he would sincerely endeavor to improve Japanese relations with the United States.
Mentioning the Japanese Government’s notes communicated to the belligerent European powers on September 5, the Foreign Minister said he wished to emphasize Japan’s determination against becoming involved in the European war and in favor of doing simultaneously what was possible to prevent extension of the hostilities to the Far East. Japan would be glad, he added, to cooperate with nations which were animated equally by a desire to confine the war to the present belligerents.
(3) Replying, I said I would not fail to report the Foreign Minister’s observations to my Government. It had been the endeavor of the United States, I said, to cooperate with Japan along with other nations in order to promote peace in the Far East; but that the differences in American and Japanese objectives and policies were militating against cooperation, a particularly unfortunate condition at this time when mutual friendship and trust were needed so badly between nations not engaged in the European war for the purpose of terminating as soon as possible the war in Europe.
Repeated to Shanghai for transmission to Chungking and Peiping.
- Telegram in two sections.↩