Evening star., 1941-12-01
Purge Statement
Misquototion,
Kurusu Says

President Roosevelt, his Warm
Springs vacation cut abruptly short
by disturbing developments in the
Far Eastern crisis. arrived back in
Washington today almost at the
very moment Ambassador Klchisa-
buro Nomura of Japan was telling
reporters at the State Department:
Il believe there must be wise
craftsmanship to save the situation"
The Ambassador remark and the
news from Toxic that the japanese
cabinet had decided to continue ne
gotiations with the United States
despite wide difference of opinion
between the two governments pre-
sented japanese views of the grave
situation that confronted the Presi-
dent as he stepped from the train
shortly before noon.
Mr.. Roosevelt at once called his
defense and foreign policy advisers
to the White House for conSulta ton
on the developments in Toxic
Washington relations. Secretary OF
State Hull. who headed these sd-
visers. talked for an hour at the
State Department this morning with
Ambassador Nomura and SUBURB
Kurusu, the special japanese envoy.
President Receives Hull.
AS soon as the President reached
the White House he went to his
second floor study and there re-
I,,n la,,r,-inl
the street from the State Depart
ment and his talk with Mr.. Nomura
and Mr.. Kurusu. Mr.. Hull talked
with the President for about an
hour but had no comment as he
left the White House
As Mr.. Kurusu arrived at the
State Department to see the Secre-
tary of State, he said he thought
newspaper dispatches badly mis-
quoted Premier TOTO in reporting
that he said Japan must purge"
American and British influence
from East Asia with a vengeance.
! Soon after this report was printed
| President Roosevelt made the de-
| cision to leave Warm Springs. al.
though he had been there but one
! day, and hurry back to the Capital
Mr.. Kurusu, reporting that he and
the Ambassador were not bringing
to Mr. Hull a japanese reply to the
statement of basic principles for
American policy given them by the
Secretary Wednesday. emphasized
that the talks between japanese rep.
sentatives here and the American
Government were continuing
rather than being resumed.
Plan to See Hull Again.
He conveyed the idea there had
never been a break in the talks or in
! the japanese wish TO negotiate for
a settlement. When he was asked
after the Hull conversation today
whether he and the Ambassador
planned to see the Secretary of
State again, he replied:
IF 1 am instructed to that effect
by our government"
Mr.. Kurusu said in response to
questions that during today's meet
ing he and the Ambassador had
merely gone over again various
angles of their previous talks W n
Mr. Hull.
Later State Department ofici Is
said the japanese reply to tie
Wednesday Hull statement is ex-
pected soon These officials said
that today's talk was concerned
with some subordinate phases of
the pending matter. They added
that no further discussion has been
arranged so far.
| NOmura Hopeful.
Ambassador Nomura was asked
| as he left the State Department if
he thought a wide gap still sepa-
rated the Japanese and American
i positions. His answer was that
| there must be wise craftsmanship
, to save the situation, adding:
My duty. my responsibility must
be in that direction"
Asked if he was optimistic over
the prospects of a peaceful settle
ment, he said:
Il am always hopeful"
American officials expected to be
given later a new translation of
Premier Tojos remarks, because Mr..
Kurusu said that he and Ambassador
Nomura were asking Toxic for full
text of the speech, delivered Satur-
day night at banquet marking the
first anniversary of the Japanese
Manchukuo-Nank alliance
When a reporter asked Mr.. Kurusu
before today's talk with Mr.. Hull
whether it would be safe TO say that
negotiations we're being resumed to-
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