793.94 Commission/776: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 3—3 p.m.]
92. In private conversation today Matsuoka stated that he had proposed to Drummond that the Committee of Nineteen authorize Hymans to continue the discussion on conciliation by negotiating with Matsuoka on the basis of the texts prepared in December eliminating participation of nonmember states in the conciliation committee and with modification of the last paragraph of the “statement of facts” dealing with nonrecognition of Manchukuo.
The Committee of Nineteen will meet tomorrow morning and this subject will be discussed.
[Page 145]Matsuoka stated that in his opinion his Government ought to make sure that conciliation goes on. They were not far enough apart to justify a break-down of negotiations but his Government was very stiff in regard to the nonrecognition question though they had given in and accepted as basis for conciliation the points of chapter 9 of the Lytton Report including the one dealing with autonomy. He was, however, frank enough to express his scepticism regarding the possibility of accord on this point.
From his conversation, from the press, and from the attitude of other delegates it appears that the Japanese are making a serious last-moment effort to avert the report and recommendations provided for under paragraph 4 of article 15. It is impossible to say what will be the attitude of the Committee except to note the fact that the continued and undenied reports of advance into Jehol give the members little belief that real conciliation will be undertaken by the Japanese. Members of the Committee have been working for the past weeks under a sort of fatalism and the conviction that the Japanese Government was merely playing for time and that conciliation was hopeless. Whether this new step of Matsuoka’s will revive hope that conciliation is possible, I cannot say.
Apropos of the reports in the press to the effect that the British Government was endeavoring to persuade the two parties to enter into negotiation similar to that in which Sir Miles Lampson68 presided over the round-table discussions in Shanghai, Matsuoka stated that his Government would never accept such a method of conciliation for Manchuria. Indeed, he had had great difficulty in persuading his military people to accept it for Shanghai. As far as Manchukuo is concerned they must negotiate direct with China, although they had no objections to the presence of outsiders and even friendly suggestions from outsiders.
- British Minister to China.↩