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

711.94/1982: Telegram

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

Washington, March 3, 1941—9 p.m.

146. In the course of a conversation on February 24 with an officer of the Department, Mr. Butler of the British Embassy inquired whether there was anything of interest which might be said in regard to the “mission” to this country of the persons¹⁸ referred to in the Department’s 129, February 25, 7 p.m.¹⁹ Mr. Butler was informed in reply that it was not our understanding that the persons referred to were on a “mission” in the sense of having been specially sponsored by any person or group; that a number of the officers of the Department, while declining to be drawn into a discussion of certain matters of high policy concerning which their views were sought, had talked with the Japanese concerned unofficially and informally about American viewpoints on some of the fundamental issues in Far Eastern problems; and that it was believed that the persons referred to would leave this country with a clear impression that public opinion in the United States does not lean toward pursuit in regard to the Far East of any policy of “appeasement” or abandonment.

Memoranda of conversations²⁰ have gone forward to you by pouch.

Hull

18. Tetsuma Hashimoto and his associate, Teikichi Toda.
19. Not printed.
20. For memorandum of February 25, see p. 49; others not printed.