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

740.0011 P.W./373: Telegram

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

Tokyo, August 2, 1941—3 p.m.
[Received August 2—7:48 a.m.]

1153. Department’s 452, August 1, noon.

1. In the absence from the Foreign Office today of the Foreign Minister, who is leaving tonight to worship at the Ise Shrines, Counselor called this afternoon on the Acting Vice Minister³¹ and communicated to him the substance of the first paragraph of the Department’s telegram under reference, at the same time conveying my request that the information be transmitted promptly to the Minister. Mr. Yamamoto replied that a report along precisely similar lines had already been received from Ambassador Nomura, but that he would immediately inform the Minister of the information received through us.

2. In reply to my request for an interview with the Foreign Minister on Monday³² afternoon after his return from Ise, Mr. Yamamoto said that he would of course arrange for the interview if I desired to communicate further views or information with regard to the American Government’s proposition, but that if the purpose of the interview were to receive some indication of the Japanese Government’s considered views with regard to the proposition he believed that the interview might be usefully deferred for a few days. He said that the proposition was being carefully studied by the Japanese Government with every desire to find a solution. He added that a telegram in the sense of the preceding sentence had already been sent to Ambassador Nomura.

Grew

31. Kumaichi Yamamoto, director of the East Asia Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Office.
32. August 4.