893.6363 Manchuria/59a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Bingham)
10. Press stories from Tokyo state that “high diplomatic authorities” there have declared that by protesting to Japan against the [Page 750] projected petroleum monopoly in Manchukuo the British and American Governments have practically scuttled the London naval conversations,48 this action amounting to a move by those two governments to inject political matters into the London talks.
As you doubtless are aware, the discussions with regard not only to the projected Manchukuo monopoly but also with regard to the Japanese petroleum law, between on the one hand the British Ambassador and the Japanese Foreign Office, and on the other hand the American Ambassador and the Foreign Office began many weeks ago. No new move has been made by us, and we know of none by the British, in recent weeks. The latest move was a move made by the Manchukuo authorities recently, of which we have thus far not taken official notice. The story that such moves have been made has apparently been given to the press, we know not by whom, at this time, in Japan. Our concern and our action with regard to these petroleum matters are in no way related to our objectives, our efforts or our procedure at the London naval conversations.
- See vol. i, pp. 217 ff.↩