793.94/16789
Memorandum by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck)63
In a telegram which the Tokyo Embassy sent us on August 14, 1941,64 the Embassy reported that the Chief of the American Section of the Japanese Foreign Office had stated to Mr. Dooman65 that we [the American Government] “must be aware of the Japanese doctrine of the Imperial Command and that it is a serious thing for the Japanese Government to give any foreign government an undertaking which would restrict freedom of operation of the Japanese armed forces.”
In context, the implication of that statement is that, an implied promise having been given to us by Admiral Nomura on behalf of the Foreign Office66 that Japanese armed forces would desist from bombing [Page 895] some part of Chungking for some time, which assurance, if observed, would restrict the freedom of operation of the Japanese armed forces, the Japanese Army or Navy had taken offense and had called the Japanese Foreign Office to account, and that the Japanese Foreign Office felt compelled to call our attention to “the Japanese doctrine of the Imperial Command”. This indicates that we need to be on guard against placing any too great confidence in any pledges that may be made by the Japanese Foreign Office or even by the Premier himself regarding courses to be pursued or not to be pursued by the Japanese armed forces unless the Japanese Army and Navy associate themselves expressly and to our certain knowledge with the said pledges.