48 External Affairs Office, London, to Lt Col W. R. Hodgson, Secretary of Department of External Affairs

PACIFIC RELATIONS

In continuation of S.3987 [1], the print forwarded to you by the Dominions Office this week contains a record of an interview on 7th June between the Secretary of State [2] and the Japanese Ambassador [3] on the subject of the proposed Pacific Pact. [4]The Ambassador said that he thought his Government would have no objection in principle to such a pact but that they might regard its negotiation as a little premature at this time. The first necessity, in his judgement, was to seek to improve relations with other Powers in the Pacific, and more especially with the United Kingdom Government. From such an improvement a Pacific Pact would flow naturally.