You will remember that you recently enquired about the position
with regard to the non-aggression pacts between Thailand and the
United Kingdom, France and Japan respectively. [1] You mentioned
that the pact with us had been held up because the French were
unable to agree to the frontier rectification embodied in their
pact, and you drew attention to the fact that in the meantime
Japan had, apparently, made the signature of her pact contingent
on recognition by Thailand of the Wang regime [2], and that there
appeared to be some danger that Thailand might join with Japan,
Italy and Germany in recognising Wang. You thought that the
Commonwealth Government were likely to be disturbed by the
situation which appeared to be developing, and suggested that
steps should be taken to persuade the French Government to waive
the objections which they had hitherto seen to the conclusion of
their non-aggression pact with Thailand.

We have been making enquiries of the Foreign Office, and the
following is the present position:-

It appears from a recent despatch from Sir Josiah Crosby [3] that
the Japanese have rejected the Thai proposal that they should sign
a non-aggression pact. It is, therefore, not the case that Japan
had made the signature of her pact contingent on the recognition
of Wang by the Thai Government, although Sir Josiah Crosby
conjectures that such recognition may be what the Japanese are
hoping for. The actual position is that there is reason to believe
that in rejecting the proposed non-aggression pact the Japanese
suggested that the Thai Government should sign a 'pact of co-
operation' with her. While negotiations with the United Kingdom
and French Governments continue, it is not thought that the Thai
Government will agree to conclude such a pact of co-operation; but
the danger is that a failure to conclude a pact of non-aggression
between Thailand, on the one hand, and ourselves and/or the
French, on the other, might open the door to an increase of
Japanese influence in Thailand to the detriment of British and
French interests.

The Foreign Office are fully alive to this danger, and have been
considering how best to bring the negotiations with the Thai
Government to a satisfactory conclusion. In doing so, they have
given full weight to the wishes of the Commonwealth Government
expressed in their telegram No. 20 of the 19th January [4], and
they have been bearing in mind your suggestion.

It is the case that the French have hitherto not seen their way to
meet the Thai Government proposal for a re-delimitation of a
portion of the frontier; and, as the Thai Government have in
effect made their offer of a non-aggression pact contingent on a
settlement of the frontier question, negotiations for the
conclusion of a Franco-Thailand pact of non-aggression are at a
standstill. We have no desire to embarrass the French Government
in any way, but, in view of the desirability, in French as well as
British interests, that the Anglo-Thailand pact should be
concluded as early as possible, we are urging the French
Government to raise no objection to our proceeding with our
negotiations irrespective of the state of the Franco-Thailand
negotiations.

Incidentally, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently
submitted a memorandum communicating their observations as to the
text of our pact with Thailand. The Foreign Office propose to
agree with the French Government on the points of form raised [5],
in order that we may be in a better position to persuade the
French Government, should this later be necessary, to adopt a more
accommodating attitude over more essential matters.

A despatch has been received from Sir Josiah Crosby stating that
the Thai Government have authorised the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to proceed with the negotiations for the conclusion of the
pact between the United Kingdom and Thailand, and have expressed
their readiness to accept our own draft of the non-aggression
pact, subject to a few minor alterations.

The amendments suggested by the French and Thai Governments are at
present receiving considerations copies of the correspondence will
be sent to the Dominion Governments and to you as soon as the
replies to Paris and Bangkok have been settled.

His Majesty's Ambassador at Paris [6] has now reported that the
French Minister [7] has handed to the Thai Government a draft of
the French non-aggression pact and has at the same time indicated
that the French authorities would perhaps not be averse from
discussing the administrative difficulties which might be caused
by the present delimitation of the frontier. The Head of the Far
Eastern Department [8] told His Majesty's Representative that the
French Ministry of the Colonies had shown themselves more
forthcoming and that he thought that if the Thai Government showed
any readiness to take up the hint, a colonial official would be
sent out from Paris to conduct discussions. The Head of the Far
Eastern Department emphasised that the two questions-treaty and
administrative discussions-would be kept entirely separate.

ANTHONY EDEN