Monday, 25 August

At 7.00 I went to the United Memorial Week service at the Nationalist Government. The Generalissimo delivered a lecture. 1) When we talk to foreign people, we should have a moral attitude. We should not care too much if there are any spies around us before we say something. 2) Everyone should keep his own secrets and should not say too much about his secret mission. 3) The ninth Plenum Meeting would be held by the end of October or November. Every section should scrutinise whether or not they have implemented the resolutions of the eighth Plenum Meeting and should make early preparation of this. On returning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I immediately asked Secretary Li to check what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had implemented to meet the various clauses of the eighth Plenum Meeting. If there was anything that was not implemented he should immediately report to me and the Minister of Foreign Affairs so that it could be dealt with immediately.

Ambassador Gu Weijun cabled to report his discussion with the American Ambassador. 1) Britain and the United States would warn the Japanese Government again that the latter should not have any claim concerning Thailand and Burma. The Yunnan-Burma transportation of our country was of great importance to our War of Resistance. He hoped that Britain and the United States could show equal concern. The American Ambassador said that China was currently fighting Japan, while Britain was preoccupied with Germany, and he was afraid that Britain could not increase its obligations to the Far East. But the status of the United States was different, therefore the obligations it can shoulder with regard to the Far East are more than Britain. He also agreed to liaise with Eden. 2) The United States would try its best to help us organise the International Air Force Second Volunteers and its recruitment, and so on.

Ambassador Shao Lizi reported that Tatekawa Yoshitsugu(建川美次)[1] and Matsuoka Yōsuke shared the same position. They know that the clique in Japan supporting invasion of the Soviet Union is the most powerful and recently they have been quite dismayed. The Soviet Union also realise that Japan should invade the Soviet Union only as a last resort, so it has increasingly strengthened its watch. Also, Tatekawa Yoshitsugu enquired from the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether or not China would send a representative to attend the Moscow Conference. If the Soviet Union agreed, then Japan will deem it an unfriendly action. The Soviet Union replied that such a conference was targeted at Germany and was not related to Japan. The Neutrality Pact was available to illustrate the friendship between the Soviet Union and Japan. We should pay great attention to the Soviet Union’s reply. It seems to be the case that if we want to join the Conference and receive agreements from Britain and the United States, the Soviet Union will raise no objection. At the same time, it could prove that the Soviet Union’s perfunctory attitude towards Japan has limits. Guo Zefan (郭則範) reported to Wei Gangzhu (魏剛主) that 1) With regard to the military base in North Africa, it should not allow Germany to occupy and use it. 2) With regard to a better attitude towards the United States, [Philippe] Pétain agreed. Recently relations between France and the United States have improved. Japan demanded France recognise the puppet organisations, but the latter is still determined to resist.

[1] Tatekawa Yoshitsugu (1880-1945) was a Japanese military leader.