711.94/2528
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The British Minister, Sir Ronald I. Campbell, called to see me this afternoon at his request.
[Page 618]Sir Ronald gave me a message from Lord Halifax asking whether I considered it desirable for Lord Halifax to have an interview with Mr. Kurusu before he left Washington, or, should Mr. Kurusu intend leaving Washington before Friday, the day of Lord Halifax’s expected return from Canada, whether Sir Ronald Campbell should have a talk with him in order that the point of view of the British Government might be made clear to him along lines identical with those taken by Secretary Hull in his conversations.
I replied by saying that I thought it was entirely unlikely that Mr. Kurusu would leave Washington before Friday and that the desirability of the proposed conversation could later be determined in the light of developments which took place in the course of Secretary Hull’s conversations with the Japanese envoys.
It was agreed that I would communicate later in the week to the British Embassy our wishes in this regard.