78
762.94/113
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
to the Secretary of State
[Telegram: Paraphrase]
Tokyo, December 4, 1936-1 p.m.
[Received December 4—9:35 a.m.]
251. Embassy's 238, November 23, 6 p.m. The
adverse reaction both abroad and in Japan to the recent agreement with Germany
seems to have surprised the Japanese Foreign Office, which is trying
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in every way to minimize the effect by denying categorically the
existence of an understanding in regard to military matters or participation in
a Fascist bloc. For the purpose of minimizing the effect of the agreement the
Minister for Foreign Affairs held a general press conference on December 3.
This is the second conference of this kind which he has called since he took
office. Conversations with members of the Diet, Japanese business men and
others, as well as views expressed in the press reflect much opposition to the
agreement. It appears that there is a feeling that the agreement has engendered
an unfortunate suspicion that relations with the United States and Great
Britain have thereby been weakened and that Japan should strengthen rather than
weaken her relations with those countries.
It is difficult to trace the Japanese
leadership which resulted in the agreement. Apparently one of the few active
backers of the agreement is the Chief of the Bureau of Military Affairs in the
Ministry of War (Isogai). It appears that some of the early conversations took
place between the German Ambassador and the Japanese Embassy in London.
According to the description given by the
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Arita), the agreement is a kind of-police measure
providing for a standing commission in Berlin in which an official from the
Japanese Home Office will represent Japan. There will be an exchange of
information and the Japanese Government will proceed only against Japanese
abroad or at home who may engage in communistic propaganda or activities. Arita
expressed the hope that other governments may conclude similar agreements and
he said that the agreement is aimed against no country.
Foreign diplomatic representatives in Tokyo
in general are of the opinion, nevertheless, that the Japanese and German
General Staffs have concluded a secret military understanding. Apparently the
negotiations were carried on in Berlin by the Japanese Military Attaché there
(Major General Oshima) and it is entirely possible that neither the Japanese
Ambassador in Berlin nor the Japanese Foreign Office participated directly in
the negotiations. Last fall when the German Ambassador to Japan was in Berlin,
the German Military Attaché in Tokyo (Colonel Ott) was summoned suddenly to
Berlin and returned to Japan a short time before the agreement was signed.
Colonel Ott is studiously avoiding conversations with other Military Attaches
in Tokyo now.
The British Ambassador feels certain that a
secret military agreement exists and he is of the opinion that, as one item of
the alleged
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agreement, an arrangement for the shipment to Manchuria of German arms in
payment for various commodities, including soya bean has been made as a result
of the lack of success in carrying out the German Trade Agreement with
"Manchukuo".
The Soviet Ambassador is convinced that while
the agreement as published is merely a facade to hide a secret agreement for
joint action in the event of war with the Soviet Union, this alleged secret
agreement is nevertheless aimed also at Great Britain and he insists that an
agreement or understanding exists for the division between Germany and Japan in
case of war of certain British possessions overseas as well as the Dutch East
Indies. The Soviet Ambassador considers the alleged secret pact as part and
parcel of Germany's need for colonies and of Japan's southern expansion
program. These ideas, although they may be far fetched, are in accord with the
perhaps not unreasonable suspicion of Japanese intentions and activities
usually held by the Soviet Ambassador, who has informed the American Ambassador
that the Soviet Government has indisputable evidence that a military agreement
exists. He has informed the British Ambassador that at an opportune moment this
evidence might be published.
The Japanese Prime Minister (Hirota) made a
significant remark to the American Ambassador to the effect that relations
between Germany and Japan would become closer the more communist) activities
and the influence of the Comintern spread abroad.
GREW