Office of the Historian

793.94/5006: Telegram

The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Acting Secretary of State

Shanghai, April 9, 1932—1 p.m.
[Received April 9—6:34 a.m.]

My April 7, 8 p.m., and April 8, midnight.

1.
Japanese Minister came to see me this morning. He said that with the assistance of Matsuoka who had telegraphed directly to the Prime Minister he had obtained authority only this morning from his Government to accept alternative (a) in paragraph 2 of my April 7, 8 p.m. He said that unless the Chinese could be persuaded to accept this alternative he thought that there was no need for our meeting today as meeting would merely go over old ground. He then went to see Sir Miles to give him the same information. I told Shigemitsu that I would endeavor to see Quo and discover his attitude in the matter. I shall try to see Sir Miles before discussing question with Quo.
2.
Before leaving Shigemitsu brought up the subject of round-table conference concerning Shanghai (see paragraph 6 of my April 8, midnight). [Page 682] When Shigemitsu mentioned round-table conference day before yesterday I stated that I did not know what such a conference could confer about. Conversation did not continue. Today he began by repeating my statement and I again said that I was at a loss to know what questions would be laid before it. I asked him whether Japan was interested in such a conference. He said that his Government assumed that there would be one as it had been mentioned in Geneva. I said that I had no instructions indicating that my Government was necessarily interested in the holding of the conference and that I did not believe that the Chinese were particularly interested in it. Japanese Minister indicated that his Government’s interest was due to the fact that present negotiations under the resolution of March 4th were limited specifically to technical questions, all political questions having been excluded.
3.
I infer that there are political questions which Japanese desire brought before such a conference. Shigemitsu’s conversation with me indicated that he was merely interested in sounding me out on this question. Lampson tells me that Japanese Minister has not mentioned round-table conference to him recently.
Johnson