266

740.0011 Pacific War/891

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

1910. Embassy's 1906 of December 8.

At seven this morning the Foreign Minister asked that I call at his official residence. There he handed to me a memorandum of today's date.96a The Foreign Minister said it had been transmitted to Washington for the Japanese Ambassador to present this morning to you (Washington time, evening of December 7). The Foreign Minister said that the Japanese Emperor desired this memorandum to be considered as his reply to the message of President Roosevelt.

The following oral statement was then made to me by the Foreign Minister:

--838--

"His Majesty has expressed his gratefulness and appreciation for the cordial message of the President. He has graciously let known his wishes to the Foreign Minister to convey the following to the Presides as a reply to the latter's message:

"Some days ago, the President made inquiries regarding the circumstances of the augmentation of Japanese forces in French Indo-china to which His Majesty has directed the Government to reply. Withdrawal of Japanese forces from French Indochina constitute one of the subject matters of the Japanese-American negotiation; His Majesty has commanded the Government to state its views to the American Government also on this question. It is, therefore, desired that the President will kindly refer to this reply.

"Establishment of peace in the Pacific, and consequently of the world, has been the cherished desire of His Majesty for the realization of which he has hitherto made his Government to continue its earnest endeavors. His Majesty trusts that the President is fully aware of this fact".

GREW

--839--

Table of Contents


Footnotes

96a. Annex to doc. 265.


Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation