761.94/770: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 24—10:40 a.m.]
269. Tass has issued text of protest by Soviet Ambassador in Tokyo to Hirota under date of August 22.
Note refers to recent arrest of Soviet employees of Chinese Eastern Railway and complains that the Eastern line has been deprived of its “leading staff” and operators hampered; that absurd accusations have been invented of organized attacks on Japanese military missions by [Page 261] bandits, of sabotage, robberies and murders; and that these allegations were officially supported by the Japanese War Minister and officials of Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Moreover, Japanese Manchurian authorities had leveled similar accusations against official institutions and representatives of the Soviet Union in Manchuria, namely, Soviet Consul and Consulate at Pogranichnaya as well as commanding staff of Red Army in Far East.
Note states that Soviet Government regards these actions which coincide with virtual breaking off of negotiations for sale of railway as disorganizing the work of the railway and flagrant violation of treaty rights.
The note drew particular attention to official communiqué of August 17 in which Japanese War Office alleged “orders for the carrying out of train wrecks and attacks are issued by the Far Eastern Red Army” which was accused of supervising bandit detachments along the Chinese Eastern Railway through the medium of an actually nonexistent organ of Soviet employees on Chinese Eastern Railway. These statements of the Japanese War Office accompanied utterances of an aggressive nature in respect of the U.S.S.R. Soviet note describes foregoing as intensification of aggressive intention of “certain official Japanese circles”. The note ends as follows:
“The Soviet Government holding the Manchurian authorities and the Japanese Government responsible for above actions has instructed me, Mr. Minister, to submit its protest to you. The Government of the U.S.S.R. trusts that the Japanese Government will draw the necessary deductions.”