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[116]

7. OTHER MESSAGES OF PARTICULAR INTEREST,
TRANSMITTED BEFORE 1 AUGUST 1941

[117]

From: Tokyo (Matuoka)
To: Washington (Koshi)
15 February 1941
(J17-K6)
#073 (2 parts-complete)

Re my #43 *.

The information we particularly desire with regard to intelligence involving U. S. and Canada, are the following:

1. Strengthening or supplementing of military preparations on the Pacific Coast and the Hawaii area; amount and type of stores and supplies; alterations to air ports (also carefully note the clipper traffic.

2. Ship and plane movements (particularly of the large bombers and sea planes).

3. Whether or not merchant vessels are being requisitioned by the government (also note any deviations from regular schedules), and whether any remodelling is being done to them.

4. Calling up of army and navy personnel, their training, (outlook on maneuvers) and movements.

5. Words and acts of minor army and navy personnel.

6. Outlook of drafting men from the view-point of race. Particularly, whether Negroes are being drafted, and if so, under what conditions.

7. Personnel being graduated and enrolled in the army and navy and aviation service schools.

8. Whether or not any troops are being dispatched to the South Pacific by transports; if there are such instances, give description.

9. Outlook of the developments in the expansion of arms and the production set-up; the capacity of airplane production; increase in the ranks of labor.

10. General outlooks on Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, with particular stress on items involving plane movements and shipment of military supplies to those localities.

11. Outlook on U. S. defense set-ups.

JD-1:
#14738 1030 (continued)                          Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (1)

*JD-1: 776-"We have decided to de-emphasize our propaganda work and
strengthen our intelligence work in the U. S." (SIS #14341) 

Page 312

[118]

12. Contacts (including plane connections) with Central and South America and the South Pacific area. Also outlook on shipment of military supplies to those areas.

Please forward copies of this message as a "Minister's Instruction" to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland (Chicago or New Orleans ?) Vancouver, Ottawa, and Honolulu. Also to Mexico City and Panama as reference material.

JD-1:
#14738 1030 15 February, 1941                    Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (1)


[119]

From: Tokyo (Matuoka).
To: Honolulu (Riyoji).
15 February, 1941
(J17 K6)
#008

Re my #73 to Washington*.

In gathering intelligence material, your office will pay particular attention to paragraphs 1 and 2.

JD-1 :
#14729 1035 15 February, 1941                    Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (S)

*JD-1: 1030-Outlines details of intelligence information desired.
 (SIS #14738) 


From: Tokyo (Matuoka)
To: San Francisco (Riyoji)
15 February, 1941
(J17 K6)
#020

Secret.

Re my #73 to Washington*.

Will your office please pay particular attention to gathering intelligence material which will fall under the classifications outlined in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 12.

JD-1: 1031
#14733 15 February, 1941              Navy Trans. 2-20-21 [sic, LWJ] (S)

*JD-1: 1030-Outlines details of intelligence information desired.
 (SIS #14738)


[120]

From: Tokyo (Matuoka)
To: Los Angeles (Riyoji)
15 February, 1941
(J17 K6)
#013

Secret.

Re my #73 to Washington*.

Page 313

In connection with collecting intelligence material, your office will pay particular attention to contents of paragraphs 1, 2, 8, 9 and 11.

JD-1: 1032
#14730 15 February, 1941                         Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (S)

*JD-1: 1030-Outlines details of intelligence information desired.
 (SIS #14738)


From: Tokyo (Matuoka).
To: New York (Riyoji).
15 February, 1941
(J17 K6)
*018

Re my #73 to Washington*

In gathering intelligence material, your office will pay particular attention to contents of paragraphs 4, 6, 7, and 9.

JD-1: 1033
#14732 15 February, 1941                         Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (S)

*JD-1: 1030-Outlines details of intelligence information desired.
 (SIS #14738)


From: Tokyo (Japanese Foreign Minister)
To: Vancouver (Japanese Consul)
15 February, 1941
(J17 K6)
#008

Secret.

Re my #73 to Washington*.

In gathering intelligence material, your office will lay particular stress on paragraph 10.

JD-1: 1034
#14736 15 February, 1941                         Navy Trans. 2-20-41 (S)

*JD-1: 1030-Outlines details of intelligence information desired.
 (SIS #14738)


[121]

From: Tokyo (Japanese Foreign Minister)
To: Vancouver
February 26, 1941
J17 K6
#12

Re my #8. [a]

Please wire reports covering the positions and movements also of the ships of Canada's Pacific Fleet. Please transmit to Ottawa and from that office ----- to the Naval Attache.

ARMY 15310                                           Trans. 3/13/41 (S)

[a] See S.I.S. #14736. Directs Vancouver, in gathering intelligence
material, to lay particular stress on general outlooks in Alaska and
Aleutian Islands, especially on items involving plane movements and
shipments of military supplies to those localities.

Page 314


From: Tokyo (Matsuoka)
To: Singapore
May 16, 1941
PA-K2
#120 (Strictly Secret)

According to a telegram from our consul in Colombo, a New York Reuters dispatch states that it is reported that the United States has already stationed a fleet in the Indian Ocean. Please pay great attention to the movements of American warships.

ARMY 19894                                            Trans. 7/23/41 (6)


[122]

From: Tokyo (Jap Foreign Minister)
To: Mexico (Koshi)
23 June 1941
(Purple)
#106

Regarding the plans for procuring maps of the Panama Canal and vicinity, please have career attache Kihara make an official trip to Panama. (It might be well to have secretary Yoshimizu accompany him. )

Have the maps taken out by plane, and then have Sato, the Naval Attache, bring them to Tokyo with him when he returns.

Furthermore, since the Panama Legation, in their #62* from Panama to me, mentioned the question of a trip, get in touch with them regarding date and time of arrival. (American surveillance will unquestionably be vigilant. There are also some suspicions that they read some of our codes. Therefore, we wish to exercise the utmost caution in accomplishing this mission. Also, any telegrams exchanged between you and Panama should be very simple.**)

18581
JD-1:3198                                        Navy trans. 6-24-41 (S)

*Available not yet translated-dated 17 June.
**i. e. "Kantan"-may also mean "Brief, short"; hence cryptographically
secure, or may infer that they should be in plain language but innocuous
in appearance.


[123]

From: Vladivostok
To: Tokyo
25 June 1941
(Red)
#230

There has been no great change in conditions here up to the 25th. Emergency measures are in force, the regulation of commodities and supplies to the defense force -----. The fleet and the air corps began practice on the 24th. The attitude toward Japan (?) has undergone no change. Some civilians talk to the officials.

Details of military conditions are as follows:

1. Conditions on the 22nd.

(1) About 7:30 p. m. emergency orders were issued to the army and navy sentries who had gone out for the evening and they could be seen everywhere in the city running to their posts of duty.

Page 315

(2) At about 9 p. m. one truck loaded to capacity with armoured infantry and following this three navy trucks loaded with 4-turret high angle machine guns could be seen moving out to guard (duty).

(3) The fleet was inactive and nothing out of the ordinary could be observed. The corps that had charge of air defense seemed to be at their posts.

2. Conditions on the 23rd.

(1) Military trucks were going back and forth constantly in connection with the air defense.

(2) The fleet was still inactive, but part of it engaged in target practice.

(3) The radio broadcast throughout the day concerning coastal defense. ------

3. Conditions on the 24th:

(1) No change on the land front from. the previous day. The number of soldiers in the city seemed to be about as before.

JD-1: 3394 18959 (continued)              (H) Navy Trans. 7-2-41 (6-AR)

[124]

(2) The warships that had been in the harbor for the past several days sailed out early in the morning apparently for practice maneuvers.

(3) The air corps began making flights from this morning. The guards who are on duty in the city in ordinary times began practicing in earnest.

4. The 25th.

(1) No change during the forenoon.

(2) The fleet had already gone out for practice maneuvers but the warships left in the harbor at 8 a. m. were as follows:

          1 light cruiser
          1 mine layer
          1 submarine tender
          4 destroyers
          2 torpedo boats
          10-20 submarines
          5 special service ships

Most of these were being repaired.

18959
JD-1:                                     (H) Navy Trans. 7-2-41 (6-AR) 


[125]

From: Vladivostok
To: Tokyo
3 July 1941
(Red)
#259

Report on recent naval activities in this area.

Since the beginning of the German-Soviet war the naval authorities here have tightened up on watch and are engaged in naval preparations by enforcing various exercises to meet any eventuality. However, naval exercises are limited to only one section of the force for there are many ships which are undergoing repairs. Evidently the preparations are intended for defense against Japan.

(1) Activities of the fleet.

Page 316

A part of the ERI type and SICHA type submarines assigned to this area appear to be operating somewhere else, for there are comparatively few submarines in port at present. However, the remainder of submarines, the torpedo boat division mine layer division, mine sweeper division, high speed torpedo craft division, etc. are still here and are either undergoing repairs or are engaged in exercises. The first phase of exercises ended with the basic maneuvers in early June and the 2nd phase is already underway. Lately the departure of craft from the bay has become infrequent but since the war, those craft which do go out seldom return, even though it be Saturday or Sunday. Not only this, but planes of types SB, E15, E16 and OFUBOOHU are quite active and it appears that they are engaged in exercises with the fleet. However, the exercises appear to be greatly handicapped by so many ships being placed under repairs.

19616
JD-1: 3709                                   (A) Navy Trans. 7-16-41 (3)


[126]

From: Manila (Nihro)
To: Tokyo
25 July 1941
(Purple)
#433

The United States is making a concentrated effort to strengthen Philippine defenses. There are at present 460 planes, and about 1300 pilots. Army force numbers 10,000 and an effort is being made to increase this number. The Philippine Army numbers about 130,000 including those on active duty, reserve lists and the gendarmerie. In an emergency, about 100,000 men could be turned over to U. S. officers to command, it is estimated by the bureau concerned.

20387
JD-1: 4155                                (D) Navy Trans. 8-1-41 (6-AR)
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Page maintained by Larry W. Jewell, lwjewell@omni.cc.purdue.edu. Created: 1/9/97 Updated: 1/12/97