Office of the Historian

393.115/568: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)

Washington, February 27, 1939—8 p.m.

49. Tientsin’s 16 [15], February 24, 4 p.m.40 If you are approached by your British and French colleagues with a view to this Government’s making an approach to the Japanese Government with regard to the reported restrictions to be imposed by the Japanese authorities at Tientsin, the Department authorizes you in your discretion to make a further approach to the Japanese Government. Please be guided by the Department’s no. 1 forwarded by Peiping in response to the Department’s no. 3 of January 4, noon, to Peiping. The Department suggests that you stress the adverse consequences which such restrictions are likely to have upon North China’s trade with the United States.41

Hull
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. For the Embassy’s aide-mémoire of March 8 to the Japanese Foreign Office, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 642.↩