Office of the Historian

793.94 Conference/116: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, October 27, 1937—7 p.m.
[Received October 27—11:14 a.m.]

498. The Japanese refusal of the invitation of the Belgian Government to the Nine Power Treaty Conference was approved by the Cabinet in its meeting this afternoon and by the Emperor at 5 o’clock. The Minister for Foreign Affairs handed copies of the reply to the British Ambassador at 6:10, to myself at 6:20 and the original to the Belgian Ambassador at 6:30. The Vice Minister is meanwhile informing the French, Italian and German Ambassadors. The note is to be released to the press at 7 o’clock.

In handing me the copy of the note Hirota gave me also a long explanatory statement in Japanese which he informs me will be made available to the Department by the Japanese Embassy in Washington.

Repeated to Nanking.

Grew