800.79611 Pangborn-Herndon Flight/84
Memorandum by Mr. Ransford S. Miller of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs of a Conversation With the Japanese Counselor of Embassy (Kato)
Mr. Miller referred to the interest which had been created in the United States in the case of these American fliers and to the various press comments relating thereto. It was pointed out that, quite apart from the merits of the case, the effect upon the friendly relations between the United States and Japan of much of this comment was not [Page 1051] good; that the Department and the Japanese Embassy appeared to have a common interest in minimizing these undesirable effects upon the good relations between the two countries; that it had occurred to us to inquire whether the Embassy saw anything that it might do in this direction to supplement the efforts that were being made by the Department and by the Japanese Foreign Office; and that the question assumed additional importance from the fact that permission for the American fliers to resume their flight was now under discussion and a decision was still pending.
Mr. Kato stated that he fully appreciated the point raised and that the Embassy would be glad to send a telegram to Tokyo along the line suggested. He stated that on the 21st he had received a telegram from his Government giving full details in the case, some points in which he felt the American public had not been fully and correctly informed about through the press reports. He reviewed the contents of this telegram, which did not, however, appear to add anything substantive to the information which the Department already had. He stated that he had not given this information to the press for the reason that by the time it was received a decision had been rendered and made public and he had considered the matter closed. He repeated that, in view of the later developments relating to the permit, the Embassy would telegraph the Foreign Office on the subject.