793.94/6592: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
55. Your 73, April 21, 9 p.m., and previous. Department has still had no communication from any Japanese source with regard to this matter and has made no comment. We are informed that Sir John Simon [Page 130] has stated in House of Commons that he has instructed British Ambassador [at] Tokyo to communicate with the Japanese Government with the object of getting light upon certain aspects of the spokesman’s statement and to learn what application it might have to Great Britain.
Department desires that you obtain a copy of translation of text as telegraphed by Fleisher to New York Herald Tribune and that you inquire of Hirota whether this is a reasonably accurate translation of the statement. You should not invite comment or clarification. If Hirota volunteers comment, you should listen attentively but without entering into any discussion of the matter and should report fully and as nearly as possible in his phraseology. Department hopes that you will be able to execute this at the earliest possible moment.
2. I asked Saito43 to come in this afternoon and be so good as to give us the text. Saito came and declared that there had been no text but that Amau had made certain statements in reply to questions put to him by press correspondents.
- Hirosi Saito, Japanese Ambassador at Washington.↩