REF ID:A485505 

l>IP AB!?Miif 01 ST.AH 

MINOIAN:OUM or CONYDS.l.!101' 

SubJect: Vnlted Statea--Japaa••• Relattone. 

August 16. 1941 

Participants: SecretarJ Hull and the Japanese Ambaa1ador, 

Ad.JlirAl Iich11a'buro Joaura. 

The Ambe1ae.cior or Japan oaUed at hit reques\. He proceeded. to 

aa7 that he had again read over the doOU11ent• that he and I had had 

under d11ou1aion, that he had been in co11UDUD1cat1on with his Government, and thr-it hi! believed there were grounds tor progreH in the 

converaationa. He 1a1d that his Governaent waa ver7 neairoue of 

working out ::)eaceful relation.a between. our two countries and he 

elaborated further along this line and ag~inet the idea of var. Re 

1tated th8.t he would ts.Tor concHsion.a in order to avoid. war en!l that 

froa what he heard from his Government, it would make concessions in 

order to a.void val'. He said thd in rec\ it would be glad to he.Te a 

high Japaneae o:tfi.cibl meet a M.gh American official half' '"a.y between 

the two count:ties in order to hke up the matter in its final form. 

The Ambaaaador 'then pointecl.11 inquired. of me whether conversr tiona 

such as he and. I bad been con.aucting could be res'lll8ed between our two 

Governmenta. 1 proceeded to reiterflte and repeat the co11Teraationa 

end the reasons 'Which I sat forth through Mr. \elles for their di•-

continuance. I did no\ pass further on the question 'Which he J)t'OJiounded 

but left 1t 1'1• it vas. '!he Amb:!l.Hador remarked that the a1tuat1on waa 

critical a..nd it was ver7 important in hi.s Judgment for auitre.'ble steps 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 11-07-2013 pursuant to E .0. 1352a 

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REF ID:A485505 

to be taken to avo1d. serious deYelopments but l st1ll ~evealed no 

sign wb~tever of earing antth1ng taTorable about hie req:a.eet for a 

reaupt1on of oonver•a.t10111. I aa1d tba,t at the matter atanda 

Japan with her Ar.,, Ifa'Q' and a.ir torcH was ••ta.bliahing man7 basea 

in and about French Indochina uacler her continued polic1 of conquest 

b7 force, that th1• would .ean about the la•t atep prior to a ser1ou1 

1nv&1ion of the South Sea area if it abould be decided upon b7 Japan, 

that auch an 1nvaa1on would be a 1eriou1 menace to British auccea1 in 

lurope and hence to the setet7 of the Weatern Hemisphere, including 

the tfn1ted Statea, and \hat, therefore, this Government could not for 

a moment re11&1n 11lent in the tace of auah a threat, e1peciall7 if it 

1hould be carried forward to &117 turthtr extent. The Aabaeeador 

rem~rked that the people of Japan did not haw en~h f'ood1tuf'fa and 

went to Indochina. to secure au.ch needed coaodittee es rice.. To this 

I promptl7 replied that 1t Ja11'e.n had been willing to go forward with 

e. peaceful settlement of the f'ac1t1c area ln line with the principle• 

and poltciea the Alllbauador a.nd 1 bad dhcuHed, Je.:pan would have been 

able peacefull7 and without the uae or threat of force to have equal 

e.cce11 with •••%7 other ne.t1on to world market• for rice and all other -

tood1tutf1. 

The Alaba11ador repeatedlt said that his countr7 va1 ver7 desirous 

o:t peaceful relatlona with this countr1 in the tutu.re as well a.1 now 

and 'bat be bel1tTed h1a GoTernment would make eome conce1siona 1n 

order to re1\Ul8 oonveraatione to •h1a end. I expressed interest in 

thla and again referred to Japan's continuing policy ot conquest by 
REF ID:A485505 

toroe and ot bi•t•r d.enunctatioa of this cauntl'f b7 the Qoyernmen• 

controlled preae wh1eh is loudly suppor•tng 1tUCh a polic1. and 

again 1 1a1d \h!i"t ! would not be in a poai\ion to 181 azt7th1nc 

relative to his request in addi'bion -\o whfi.' I had e&.1d so•• U.,. 

ago when he f1r•t brought up \he aa\ter. 

I 1ugge1ted \o the A.mba11ador \ha\ \he 11tua\1oa wa1 ver7 

serious and that it ha de11red to talk 'o an:t other• on \hit 1ubJect or to the Pres1deni it YOuld be pert•o'l.7 acreeable with ae 

~nd I wou.ld not conaider it a1 in aa1 W&J going around me, et cetera. 

fhe Araoaeaad.or 1a1d tha.t he would not be in a po1ition to t4lk to 

the Preaid•n' until be tirat \ele~raphed hit coun\17' for in1tru.ction1 

a1 to what coace1aion1 1\ alght be willing to make in connection with 

a re1uaption of conTereationa. 

C.R. 

StCB:MA:Ai 

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