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 attaché 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 Attaché, 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.
(EXHIBITS OF JOINT COMMITTEE , EXHIBIT NO. 2 JAPANESE MESSAGES CONCERNING MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SHIP MOVEMENTS, ETC.)