741.94/394: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 1—9:10 a.m.]
219. 1. The following is quoted from an informal letter dated today which I have just received from my British colleague:
“I am sorry to see from the newspapers that there is a tendency in the United States to read more into my speech of last Thursday than it deserves. To you who know the British views so well I need hardly [Page 309] say that these remarks of mine (which were correctly given in the Japan Times of the same day) portend no change of policy in regard to China and in particular no intention to recognize the new regime in Nanking. On this point the Japanese Government can be under no possible misapprehension for, in recent interviews with Arita2 and Tani,3 I have made it abundantly clear not only that Japanese Government can expect no Britannic recognition of a government which does not enjoy the support of the Chinese people but that, in my opinion, Japanese recognition of that government will be a mistaken and retrograde supposition.
In the main the tone of the speech, which was on a friendly and social occasion, intended as an answer to the German propaganda against us here to which we are being increasingly subjected. As you know, however, my personal opinion is that, in present condition, our objectives (which remain unchanged) are more likely to be attained by friendly than by unfriendly methods.”
2. The text of Craigie’s speech at the annual luncheon of the Japanese-British Society is being sent forward to Department by despatch.4
Cipher text by mail to Shanghai for Peiping and Chungking.