Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, General, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume II

711.008 North Pacific/299: Telegram

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

Tokyo, March 11, 1938—noon.
[Received March 11—6:50 a.m.]

162. Department’s 82, March 9, 7 p.m., paragraph 3—Alaska fisheries.¹⁵

1. I would prefer to withhold my reply.

2. On March 9 the Foreign Office presented to us the Japanese redraft of the Department’s draft communiqué. We considered it to be entirely unsatisfactory and declined to accept it. We urged the Foreign Office to bring the strongest possible pressure to bear on Ministry of Agriculture to accept the Department’s draft, and the Foreign Office agreed to make another effort. We expected to hear from Yoshizawa last night but he telephoned that further study was not completed.

3. If the Japanese reply after such reconsideration should still be unsatisfactory, I expect to call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and tell him as vigorously and frankly as possible the dangerous potentialities of the situation. Before doing so I shall carefully review the Department’s various telegrams but if there occurs to the Department any additional facts or considerations which I could use to advantage in talking to Hirota, I would be glad to have such material telegraphed to me as soon as possible.

Grew

15. Not printed; it discussed possible publicity on the subject (711.008 North Pacific/241).