Office of the Historian

856D.248/34: Telegram

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

Washington, October 14, 1940—7 p.m.

398. Your no. 969, October 10, 10 p.m. The Netherlands Indies has been the fourth largest foreign purchaser of arms in the United States during 1940. Further large quantities of arms ordered by the Netherlands Indies Government are now in process of manufacture. Additional contracts for substantial quantities are now being negotiated. Everything that this Government could properly do to facilitate the purchase of arms by that Government has been done. We are continuing to assist the purchasing missions.21

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Some misunderstanding of our policy appears to have arisen in the Netherlands Indies as a result of the fact that this Government was not in a position to approve a few relatively unimportant purchases which the Netherlands Indies desired to make, but which would have interfered with our own defense program. Press despatches from Batavia which completely distorted the facts were given wide publicity here, thereby increasing the misunderstanding. Steps have been taken, however, to eradicate any erroneous conceptions in regard to the facts and the policy of this Government in the minds of the Netherlands and Netherlands Indies authorities.

Hull
  1. The Department’s telegram No. 408, October 18, 5 p.m., informed the Embassy in Japan of the issuance of a license to export a large number of tanks to the Netherlands East Indies (856D.248/34).↩