740.0011 European War 1939/16293
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador called at his request and inquired about the Japanese situation. I said that the new Government of Japan had indicated a desire to continue the exploratory conversations, and that this Government had requested the Japanese Government to return to the point where they began to narrow their part of the matters under discussion to see whether they could not review and broaden their tentative exploratory lines of discussion. We have, however, not thus far heard from them.
The Ambassador then inquired whether Great Britain and this country could not and should not say to Japan that the two Governments would fight if Japan undertook to blockade Vladivostok or to attack Siberia or both. I replied that I was not speaking for the President, the Navy or any other Department of the Government, that I did not know just what conversations, if any, have taken place among the military and naval representatives of our and other governments interested in this situation. I said, however, that I might personally refer to a suggestion that Japan tactfully be advised that her blockading of the Sea of Japan and parts of the Pacific Coast of Russia, including the port of Vladivostok, would have to be treated by this country, for example, or by Great Britain, as an embarkation on a broad unlimited program of conquest by force—the broad conquest so often proclaimed by Japanese spokesmen—that this would bring up the whole question of the South Seas and the South Sea area so far as the use, occupancy or the domination thereof by Japan might be concerned, and that the other governments interested would, of course, be obliged to act for the preservation of their own interests [Page 559] and rights in all of this South Sea area as well as any other areas coming within the scope of Japanese conquest. The Ambassador seemed to approve this view. I suggested that he might feel out his government on this, and then the whole problem might be discussed further.