Saturday, 31 July

At 10.00 p.m., last night I received a telegram from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying our Government has decided that in the very near future it will cease diplomatic relations with the Vichy Government and asked me to inform the Soviet Government. I made an appointment to see Deputy People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Lozovsky. He arranged to meet me at 5.00 p.m. I informed him about this and he said he would convey the message to the Soviet Government. He thought the landing in Sicily had been very helpful, but if we didn’t give Germany a huge attack, it wouldn’t be defeated. He was optimistic about the war, saying he thought China would be very happy to hear about that. His words were friendly.

At 3.30 in the afternoon the Greek Ambassador visited me. He told me it was not easy for the British and Americans to land in France. Moreover, he said the British and American people thought that they would score victory and the morale of the Axis countries was the weakest. If Britain and the United States suffered any setback in the military operation, it would seriously affect the future of the war. Therefore the British and American armies must be very careful. He also said that in the future, when Germany and Italy are defeated, if the Soviets don’t take part in fighting the Japanese, it won’t be easy for the countries in the Far East to fight the fierce Japan. But Ambassador Kerr told him that the British and Americans have prepared to station over 2 million soldiers in India, with the navy and air force working with China, it won’t be too difficult to defeat the Japanese. He felt very happy on hearing this. He had been the Minister to Japan for several years, and knew deeply the power of the Japanese army. If there is no substantial power, it will be impossible to defeat the Japanese army. Japan has long viewed the Soviet Union as its arch enemy, he had also told Foreign Minister Molotov this many times. He personally thought that if the Soviet Union was not dependant on defeating Japan, the Soviet Union would have no need to threaten others, and then it was possible that the Soviet Union would join any future attack onJapan.

At 5.30, the Swedish Minister P.V.G. Assarson came with his newly-arrived First Class Secretary I. Hagglof. Assarson said that he found Satō not looking well yesterday, and he appeared to be sick. Satō was very worried about the prospect of the Axis countries. But he also said that the Soviet Union and China wouldn’t like to see Britain and the United States became too strong in the Far East, therefore they would keep Japan there to try to balance the power, and so Japan still has its uses. Minister Xie Weilin (謝維麟) asked Secretary Hagglof to bring me a dagger as a gift. It is quite nice.