Office of the Historian

893.24/747: Telegram

The Consul at Hanoi (Reed) to the Secretary of State

Hanoi, June 19, 1940—10 a.m.
[Received 12:50 p.m.]

Referring to my telegram dated June 18, 2 p.m.51 Late yesterday an official of the Government General summarized the situation as follows: There has been no formal demand that all transit traffic to China be stopped but through other channels the Government General has been made aware that such transportation may lead to intervention; to remove any pretext for such action practically all transit via Indo-China has been suspended;52 but with or without a pretext intervention is still a feared possibility unless the situation in Europe turns for the better or it appears that the United States is prepared to enforce maintenance of the status quo in the Far East.

The necessity of creating a reserve for defense is the reason they have given out.

Sent to Naval Radio, Cavite, for repetition to the Department, Chungking, Peiping, Hong Kong.

Reed
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. In a telegram dated August 6, 5 p.m., the Consul at Saigon recapitulated prohibitions laid down on June 20, June 22, and July 7 by the Governor General on transit to China of war goods (893.24/819).↩