Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The Far East, Volume IV

711.94/2143: Telegram

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

Tokyo, June 6, 1941—1 p.m.
[Received June 6—9:31 a.m.]

774. Embassy’s 765, June 4, 10 p.m.

1. The Japanese principal²⁶ referred to in the Department’s instruction no. 2125 February 25²⁷ called this morning to say that his associate²⁸ had met the Prime Minister by chance yesterday and that the latter had remarked briefly that the conversations in Washington were proceeding satisfactorily. Our informant is asking his associate to call on me in the near future to give me full details of his conversations with the Prime Minister. He said also that the Prime Minister had recently called in the editorial writers of several of the principal papers and had said that he was seriously disturbed by the efforts of Germany to persuade Japan to follow a course calculated to lead to war with the United States and that he was at a loss to understand why Germany would welcome the dissipation of Japan’s resources which such a war would entail.

2. A Japanese official of no great influence but in an excellent position to be informed of trends in the highest political quarters stated that serious differences of opinion have developed between the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister and that these differences will be publicly disclosed in the near future.

Grew

26. Tetsuma Hashimoto, or “Mr. Y,” leader of the Shiunso, who visited Washington in the winter.
27. Not printed.
28. Teikichi Toda.