390.1115A/209: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
475. Your 1144, November 13, 8 p.m.9 In view of your statements and recommendation contained therein Washington will not call at Japanese port and will proceed only to Shanghai and Manila.
The Department understands difficulties mentioned by you in obtaining full bookings for the special ships. With respect to the matter of the reluctance of missionaries to leave, the Department has had interviews with leaders here of several of the large missionary organizations and has now written to representatives of both the Protestant and Catholic church councils expressing the hope that they would speedily consider the granting of necessary authorization and funds to permit the return to the United States of those members of their organizations in the Far East who desire to heed the Department’s suggestion for their withdrawal. With respect to the short period of time which the approaching arrival of the special ships has allowed for the making of arrangements by Americans to embark on board, while that is appreciated, it was necessary for the Department to take speedy action to make additional shipping available following its suggestion for withdrawal of citizens and to make use of the only vessels it could obtain at the time.
Sent to Tokyo via Shanghai.
- Not printed. The Ambassador in Japan reported that the time before the S. S. Washington was due was not sufficient for Americans to arrange to leave and also that missionary group was especially unwilling to leave. He recommended that the ship should not call at Japan.↩