393.115/592: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
70. Your 136, March 20, 2 p.m., and 137, March 20, 4 p.m.32 The Department approves in principle the procedure which you propose but desires to give further consideration to the question of the timing of the proposed approach. When it seems to the Department that an opportune time has arrived, the Department will so inform you by telegraph and at that time will expect to send certain suggestions with regard to textual alterations in the proposed draft note. In the meantime please withhold action in regard to the formal approach under reference. Meanwhile, the Embassy should bring recent cases of bombing to the attention of the Foreign Office in accordance with the procedure which it has followed hitherto but with the addition of mention of the fact that these bombings appear to the Department to be indicative of increasing indifference on the part of the Japanese military authorities to the rights of the United States, to the safety of American nationals and property and to the pledges and assurances given by the Japanese Government.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.
- Latter not printed.↩