Office of the Historian

393.115/164: Telegram

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

Washington, February 7, 1938—7 p.m.

46. Your 75, February 5 [4], noon.54 The Department approves of the supplementary oral representations made by you.

The Department is asking the Embassy at Hankow to endeavor to furnish you with the specific data mentioned in the last paragraph of your telegram under reference.

The Department considers it important that there should be kept in mind the distinction between representations of a general character, such as those to which your telegram under reference relates, and which seek objectives of broad principle covering the two points enumerated in the Department’s 33 of February 2, 5 p.m., and representations looking to the concrete settlement of specific cases. As some of the evidence which you may have occasion to present to the Foreign Office in support of your general representations may also be concerned with cases for which a local settlement is being sought or with cases the presentation of which to the Japanese Government for settlement must await detailed investigation and examination, it is believed that you should make this point clear to the Foreign Office in order to avoid possible misunderstanding.

Hull
  1. Not printed; but see memorandum by the Ambassador in Japan, February 4, 1938, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. i, p. 577.↩