Office of the Historian

793.94/14276c: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)

Washington, November 2, 1938—3 p.m.

672. The Department is today telegraphing our Embassy at Tokyo as follows:

[Here follows text of telegram No. 373, November 2, 4 p.m., printed on page 373.]

Please take this matter up promptly with the Foreign Office, informing it orally of the general nature of the instructions sent to Ambassador Grew, and state that the Department wishes to afford the Government to which you are accredited an opportunity to send, should it so desire, similar instructions to its Ambassador at Tokyo.

Please state also that, should the British Government decide to issue such instructions and should the Japanese reply be unfavorable and indicative of an unreasonable attitude on the part of the Japanese Government, we would appreciate being informed of such further measures as the British Government believes it would be useful and practicable to take in the matter.

The Department has sent the same telegram to Paris, omitting the concluding paragraph.

Hull