793.94/15801: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 10—7:45 a.m.]
240. We are informed by the French Embassy that, although there have been no recent bombings of the Yunnan Railway, on account of certain critical articles appearing in the Hong Kong press, such as preceded previous bombings, the French Embassy had been apprehensive of a new Japanese attempt on the railway. The Counselor accordingly recently visited the Foreign Office in an endeavor to forestall such action. The Chief of the Division of Europe and Western Asia, with whom he discussed the matter, repeated the Japanese contention that Japan has a right to prevent war materials from reaching Chiang Kai Shek to which the Counselor took exception and observed that any [renewal?] of bombings would prevent the establishment of a friendly atmosphere for the inauguration of commercial talks. According to the French Embassy here also, the German Embassy in Tokyo is bringing pressure to bear upon the Japanese [Page 315] Foreign Office to allow Germany to arrange some sort of a deal between Japan and Russia and is asserting that Japan will get much more from such an arrangement than by “playing with” the French and British.