Wednesday, 5 April

The Norwegian Ambassador invited me for dinner. The Secretary of the British Embassy, Crosthwaite, told me that three hours before the Soviet-Japanese agreement was announced, the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited him to go and showed him the announcement document. He asked the said minister when the two mines were given to the Japanese. The said minister said that they were transferred after the Russo-Japanese war. Crosthwaite thought this was really foolish. He also said that he was informed three hours before the announcement as a courtesy by the Soviet Union. He took it as a joke. The Norwegian Ambassador told us a joke, saying that a certain Norwegian captain’s wife received the friend of his friend on his return and heard his report, saying that her husband was eaten by savages at a certain place. She just replied that it is the difference in customs of various places. The customs here are too difficult to comprehend.