[Secret]
From: Washington
To: Tokyo
December 6, 1941
Purple (Urgent)
#1272
In
addition to carrying on frontal negotiations with the President and HULL, we
also worked directly and indirectly through Cabinet members having close
relations with the President and through individuals equally influential
(because of its delicate bearing upon the State Department, please keep this
point strictly secret). Up until this moment we have the following to report:
(1)
On the 4th those engaged in Plan "A" dined with the President and
advised him against a Japanese-American war and urged him to do the
"introducing" at once between Japan and China. However, the President
did not make known what he had in mind. According to these men, this attitude
of the President is his usual attitude. Recently, when the President discussed
matters with LEWIS and settled the strike question, I understand that he did so
on the advise of these individuals.
(2)
Those carrying on Plan "B" included all of our proposal of November
20th into that of September 25th and after incorporating those sections in the
United States' proposal of November 26th which are either innocuous or
advantageous to us _ _ _ _ _ (MESSAGE IN COMPLETE) _ _ _ _ _
Army 25846
JD: 7176 Trans. 12/7/41 (2T)
(EXHIBITS OF JOINT COMMITTEE , EXHIBIT NO. 1 INTERCEPTED DIPLOMATIC MESSAGES SENT BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BETWEEN JULY l AND DECEMBER 8, 1941)