Office of the Historian

711.94/1973⅔

The Postmaster General (Walker) to President Roosevelt 17

[Washington,] February 28, 1941.

A Plenipotentiary Representative of the Japanese Government is here in Washington. He is empowered to negotiate concrete terms for a settlement of all outstanding Far Eastern questions vis-à-vis the United States.

For such a settlement, the Japanese are prepared:

(a)
To invite the President of the United States personally to initiate mediation of the China–Japan conflict;
(b)
To nullify the Japanese participation in the Axis alliance, by a refusal to send any supplies to Germany and by the assumption of an obligation to keep the Germans out of the Far East, by military force, if necessary;
(c)
To freeze the Pacific nations in statu quo, by the recognition of autonomous governments comparable to the political units in the Americas;
(d)
To pledge, formally, their government against any further political or military aggression in the Far East;
(e)
By an economic-financial agreement to coordinate action that will assure continuance of amicable relations.

It is suggested that a representative of the President be appointed immediately, to work out, privately, with the Japanese Plenipotentiary, a draft of agreement. The Japanese Government would then indicate its official approval of the terms. Whereupon the President of the United States could call a public conference (preferably at Tokyo) to ratify this agreement which in fact had really been consummated previously.

  1. Maj. Gen. Edwin M. Watson, Secretary to President Roosevelt, wrote him on February 28 as follows: “Frank Walker brought this in today and he wished you to see it. He is now in my office as he thought perhaps you would want to speak to him—he has planned to leave town this afternoon at 2:00 p.m.” Transmitted to the Secretary of State and Under Secretary of State through the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck).↩