693.116/149: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 10—7 a.m.]
592. Our 558, August 26, 4 p.m. via Peiping,65 restrictions on radio equipment at Tientsin. We have today received a memorandum from [Page 44] the Foreign Office dated September 5 in reply to our aide-mémoire of August 26 reading in translation as follows:
“A summary of the reports from China in regard to this embargo indicates that both radio and wireless equipment have even heretofore been articles the importation of which has been restricted, and for such importation it has been necessary to obtain a permit issued by the Department of Communications; that although the Provisional Government at Peiping has recently adopted a policy of a formal embargo on only ‘all wave’ sets, this embargo is applied to the products of all countries alike including Japanese, and there is absolutely no discriminatory treatment there; that this embargo is enforced because of its necessity from the standpoint of the maintenance of peace and order; that it is considered to be unavoidable emergency action in connection with the present incident.
This embargo as is noted above is limited to ‘all wave’ apparatus and long wave receivers may, as formerly, be imported. It is further reported that permits for the importation of such apparatus are easily obtained.
Finally, concerning apparatus which was ordered prior to the enforcement of this embargo, while it cannot, at the present time, be stated whether or not the authorities concerned of the Provisional Government will be able to give special consideration to this problem, it is at the present time being studied by the authorities in China.”
- Not printed.↩