[Secret]
From: Tokyo
To: Washington
3 December 1941
(Purple)
#875 Chief of Office routing
Re
your #1232*.
Please
explain the matter to the United States along the following lines:
There
seem to be rumors to the effect that our military garrisons in French
Indo-China are being strengthened. The fact is that recently there has been an
unusual amount of activity by the Chinese forces in the vicinity of the
Sino-French Indo-China border. In view of this, we have increased our forces in
parts of northern French Indo-China. There would naturally be some movement of
troops in the southern part as a result of this. We presume that the source of
the rumors is in the exaggerated reports of these movements. In doing so, we
have in no way violated the limitations contained in the Japanese-French joint
defense agreement.
25725
JD-1: 7057 (D) Navy Trans. 12-4-41 (S-TT)
*JD-1: 7021 (S.I.S. #25659-60).
(EXHIBITS OF JOINT COMMITTEE , EXHIBIT NO. 1 INTERCEPTED DIPLOMATIC MESSAGES SENT BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BETWEEN JULY l AND DECEMBER 8, 1941)