500.A15A5/70: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 31—2:30 a.m.]
104. The Minister for Foreign Affairs told me last evening for my personal information that the Japanese Government welcomed the British proposal for bilateral preliminary naval conversations and had [Page 243] instructed Matsudaira on May 29th to accept the invitation on the understanding that the scope of the conversations would be limited to determining the time, place and procedure of the eventual conference, because the Japanese Navy is not yet ready to discuss technical questions. Of [On?] the results of the Anglo-Japanese conversations, the Minister said, would depend the time and nature of the conversations to be held between Saito and yourself. Saito now plans to return to Japan on July 3rd in order to report on conditions and opinion in the United States. Hirota hopes to hold similar bilateral conversations with the French and Italians.
I am unaware whether the foregoing has already been communicated to you by Saito.