711.94/2213
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hamilton)
Mr. Wakasugi, the Japanese Minister, called at his request. After taking up what he described as two matters of official business, Mr. Wakasugi said that he wished to speak to me personally in regard to the present state of relations between the United States and Japan. He said that we had known each other for a number of years and that he therefore felt that he could speak frankly. He mentioned the fact that he had been in this country a good many years and he indicated that he was very much disturbed at the present trend of relations between our two countries. He asked whether there was any comment I could make as to how the present trend might be arrested and relations be improved.
[Page 266]I then commented at some length in regard to developments in relations between the United States and Japan, emphasizing the fact that the American people and the American Government had been very patient, that the Government had been subjected to severe criticism from the American people because it had not taken certain steps, that no one had worked harder for or had more on his heart the maintenance of friendly relations with Japan than the Secretary of State, that Japan had nothing to fear from any other country, that if Japan followed a peaceful course it would not encounter trouble with the United States or any other country, and that the question of maintaining and developing friendly relations between two countries was of course a two-way proposition.
Mr. Wakasugi then came to what I regard as the purpose of his approach. He said that he had noted in the papers this morning that a number of Japanese vessels were staying out at sea and were not coming into American ports. He said that he imagined that someone had created a fear in the minds of the steamship companies that the ships might be detained or seized by this Government. He continued that if this Government could give assurances that the ships would not be detained or seized, of course the ships could then come in. He asked whether I could give him such assurances. I replied that I could not; that all I knew about the matter was that I had seen reports in the late papers last evening and again in the papers this morning to the effect that these Japanese ships were standing out at sea; that the idea that it might be advisable for these ships to stay out at sea must have originated from some Japanese source; and that certainly this Government had not asked the Japanese ships to stay out at sea. I repeated, in reply to Mr. Wakasugi’s further query, that of course I was not in position to give assurances in as much as all I knew about the matter was what I had read in the papers.