[Secret]
From: Tokyo
To: Washington
15 November 1941
(Purple-CA)
#781
To
Ambassador Kurusu.
I
wish to express my sympathy on the presumption that you must be experiencing
considerable fatigue as a consequence of your long trip by air. Not alone this
Minister, but everyone in government circles, feels deep gratitude that you
have agreed to tackle the exceedingly difficult problems which confront us. As
I said, I realize that your task is a difficult one, but at the same time it is
an important one; success or failure will have a great bearing on the rise or
decline of our nation.
Please
explain to Ambassador Nomura the conditions which exist here, and at the same
time describe our determinations in detail to him. After you have perfect
understanding of each other, cooperate with him in an unsparing effort to guide
the negotiations to any early settlement. That is my fervent prayer which I
hope may be granted.
Even
after the presentation of the final proposal by us, the U. S. Government
apparently continues to show laxness. There are even those who suspect that the
United States is intentionally stalling for time. In view of the fact that the
crisis is fast approaching, no subsidiary complications can be countenanced
even when considering the time element alone. Such an eventuality would make
impossible the surmounting of the crisis.
Please
familiarize yourself with my various instructions to Ambassador Nomura on this
subject, after which do everything in your power to make the United States come
to the realization that it is indeed a critical situation. I beg of you to make
every effort to have them cooperate with us in assuring peace on the Pacific.
Because
of your expressed desires prior to your departure from here, we have not as yet
presented our "B" proposal to the United States. We are of the
opinion, however, that we had better submit it to them at an early opportunity.
24873
JD-1: #6556 (D) Navy Trans. 11-17-41 (S-TT)(EXHIBITS OF JOINT COMMITTEE , EXHIBIT NO. 1 INTERCEPTED DIPLOMATIC MESSAGES SENT BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BETWEEN JULY l AND DECEMBER 8, 1941)