Chapter 83 Volume 3, Chapter 10, Japanese Special Envoy

Troubling news from the Far East Reinforcement on the Hong Kong issue Confusion in the Japanese embassy My telegrams to the President on February 15 and 20 February 24 Japanese ambassador's visit March 4 again to Germany Concerns Japan is in trouble with the United States Three decisions in Tokyo The mission of Yosuke Matsuoka He meets Ribbentrop on March 27th He meets Hitler Spiritual communism I write to Yosuke Matsuoka on April 2nd His visit to Rome Sojourn in Moscow at a moment when Stalin's courteous bodyguard, Duke Fumizume, would like to come to an understanding with the United States miscalculation.

The new year begins with disturbing news from the Far East.The activities of the Japanese navy along the southern coast of Indochina have become increasingly frequent.Japanese warships are said to have appeared in Saigon Harbor and the Gulf of Siam.On January 31, an armistice agreement was signed by the Japanese government to mediate between Vichy France and Siam.Rumors abounded that the settlement of the border dispute in Southeast Asia would be the prelude to Japan's entry into the war.At this time Germany was also putting more pressure on Japan to attack Singapore to hit Britain.Ribbentrop said at the Nuremberg trial that I tried to encourage Japan to attack Singapore because it was impossible to make peace with Britain, and I did not know what military measures we should take to achieve this end.In short, the head of state instructed me to do everything possible to weaken the position of Britain through diplomatic channels, so as to achieve the goal of peace.We believe that the best way to achieve this is for Japan to attack British strongholds in East Asia. 【１】

[1] "Nuremberg Papers", volume tenth, page two hundred. Around this time, our Commander-in-Chief in the Far East called one after another, urging reinforcements to Hong Kong.I disagree with him. prime minister to general ismay January 7, 1941 This is completely wrong.If Japan declares war on us, it is hopeless for us to hold or rush to the aid of Hong Kong.It would be extremely unwise to add to the losses we are bound to suffer there.Not only should the defenders not be increased, but their strength should be reduced to a symbolic size.Any disputes arising there had to be dealt with at a post-war peace conference.We should avoid wasting our strength on strongholds that are difficult to hold.Japan must have been planning for a long time to declare war on the British Empire. Therefore, whether Hong Kong has two battalions or six battalions does not affect Japan's choice.I would have preferred that we had fewer troops there, but drawing any part of the army must be conspicuous and dangerous.

It will be seen later that I myself did not insist on this proposition, and sent two Canadian battalions as reinforcements. During the second week of February, I became aware of disturbances in the Japanese embassy and Japanese quarters in London.They were clearly very excited and talked freely about each other.In the past few days, we have observed the situation and listened to the news.I received various reports which did give the impression that they had been informed by their own government to pack without delay.This uproar among the usually very silent people gave me the feeling that Japan might soon be about to suddenly take war against me.Therefore, I thought it best to share my concerns with the President.

former navy personnel to president roosevelt February 15, 1941 There are many indications that Japan is preparing to fight us in the next few weeks or months, or to create some kind of event to compel us to fight against her.I personally don't believe that this was a war of nerves to cover up the Japanese invasion of Siam and Indochina.However, I think I should let you know that if Japanese naval power were to attack us, we would face a situation beyond our naval capabilities. Personally I don't think Japan would send a strong expeditionary force to besiege Singapore, but Japan would certainly want to capture their long coveted Dutch East Indies and any strategic locations and oil fields nearby, thereby paving the way for a massive future attack on Singapore The attack created very favorable conditions.They will also attack the ports and coasts of Australia and New Zealand, to the great disquiet of the Dominions which have stationed all their trained troops in the Middle East.But the attacks I am most concerned about are attacks by raiding ships, possibly including battlecruisers, on our trade routes and communications in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.We could send a few ships of war to these wide seas, regardless of the disasters we cause elsewhere, but all trade would have to be carried on by convoys, and then trade would be sparse.Not only would this add great restriction and confusion to our entire wartime economy, but it would also bring to a standstill all reinforcements we had planned to draw from Australia and India to strengthen our Middle East forces.The threat of any major attack on Australia or New Zealand would, of course, force us to withdraw our fleet from the Eastern Mediterranean, possibly bringing about military disaster in that area, and Turkey would have to make accommodations for German trade and oil supplies. Reopen the Black Sea.You can see, therefore, Mr. President, that by sending the battlecruisers and a dozen cruisers with eight-inch guns to the Eastern Seas, Japan would greatly weaken our operations.Moreover, if Japan makes a serious threat of aggression against the two Australian democracies in the South Pacific, our strength will be weakened even more.

It is thought that, in Japan's present mood, she will not hesitate to provoke or attempt simultaneous wars against Great Britain and the United States.In my personal opinion, it certainly won't prevail, but no one dares to say for sure.Anything you can do to make Japan fear fighting both countries at the same time removes that danger.However, if Japan points the finger at our country, and we are fighting alone, then the seriousness of the consequences may be beyond words. The commotion among the Japanese in London began suddenly and ended abruptly.They resumed their silence and Oriental restraint again.

former navy personnel to president roosevelt February 20, 1941 I've had better news about Japan.Apparently, Yosuke Matsuoka will be visiting Berlin, Rome and Moscow in the near future.This is likely to be a diplomatic ploy to cover up the delay in taking action against Great Britain.If Japan postponed what appeared to be an imminent attack, it was probably out of fear of the United States.The more you make use of this fear the better, but I fully understand the difficulties you are having until the (Lend-Lease) Act where we hope is passed.The estimate which I last made in my private message as to how our navy would be affected by the Japanese attack on Great Britain holds true in all cases.

On February 24, Mr. Aoi Shigemitsu, the Japanese ambassador, came to see me.A record of the meeting was kept. I gave a detailed account of the long friendship between the two countries, of my own feelings for Japan since the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902, and of the strong desire we all have here not to break the relationship.Japan cannot expect us to view what it is doing in China with approval.But we maintained a correct neutrality, and it was a very different kind of neutrality from what we had shown when we helped Japan fight Russia.We have not the slightest intention of attacking Japan, and have no desires other than for her prosperity and peace.I also said that it would be a great pity if it were at war with Great Britain and the United States at a stage when it was already busy with China.

The ambassador said that Japan had no intention of attacking us or the United States, and would not want to be involved in a war with either country.They have no intention of attacking Singapore or Australia.He also repeated that they had no intention of gaining a foothold or aggression in the Dutch East Indies.He said that the only thing Japan is aggrieved about is our attitude towards China, which encourages China and increases Japan's difficulties.I felt compelled to remind him that they had signed the Triple Alliance with the Axis powers, which of course has always haunted me.It is hard to believe that a treaty so favorable to Germany and so unfavorable to Japan did not include some secret provisions.And, at any rate, Japan has made us wonder how it would interpret the treaty in the event of some eventuality.The ambassador said that they had explained it at the time, and that their purpose was to narrow the conflict, and so on.I told him that signing the Axis Pact was a huge mistake for Japan.There is nothing more dangerous to the relationship between Japan and the United States than this, and there is nothing more likely to bring Great Britain and the United States closer together.

Then, I reiterate my friendly pledge.His attitude has always been very friendly and conciliatory, and we certainly know where he stands on these issues. On March 4, after Mr. Aoi Shigemitsu must have reported the progress of the talks to Tokyo, I recorded his second visit in a memorandum. Today, the Japanese ambassador came to visit and expressed in eloquent words Japan's strong desire not to get involved in the war and to break with Great Britain.He described the Triple Alliance Treaty as a peacekeeping treaty, and said it was only out of Japan's desire to minimize the conflict.I put the question to him explicitly whether the treaty gave Japan sufficient power to interpret any given situation, and asked him whether the treaty ever obliged Japan to go to war.He didn't dispute this, he actually acquiesced.I sincerely accepted all his assurances and asked him to convey my thanks to the Japanese Foreign Minister.I don't think it will attack us until it knows for sure that we will be defeated.I doubt very much that America would fight on the side of the Axis if it joined us.It would be foolish indeed to do so.If the United States does not unite with us, it is more reasonable for it to enter the war.

This is also the German view, for very different reasons.Both Germany and Japan were eager to capture and carve up the British Empire, but they approached this goal from different angles.The German High Command believed that Japan should use its troops in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies without worrying about American bases in the Pacific and the main fleet deployed on its flanks.During February and March they had been urging the Japanese government to attack Malaya and Singapore immediately without worrying about the United States.Hitler's patience on many issues did not provoke the United States into the war.We did see how many American actions he tolerated, any one of which would have been sufficient grounds for war.What Hitler and Ribbentrop wanted more than anything else was an invasion by Japan of the country they called England.They assured Tokyo that if Japan aggressively attacked Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the United States would not dare to act.The generals of the Japanese navy and army did not believe this inference, or they were not interested in it.According to them, unless there is an attack on American bases in advance, or a diplomatic settlement with the United States, there can be no talk of launching a military operation in Southeast Asia. At this time, behind the scenes of Japan's complex political situation, three decisions seemed to be taking place.First, foreign minister Yosuke Matsuoka was sent to Europe to investigate the actual situation of Germany's control of Europe, especially when Germany's attack on Britain began.Has Britain's armed forces been so tied up in naval defense that it is unable to send reinforcements should Japan attack her eastern possessions?Although Matsuoka had studied in the United States, he was extremely anti-American.He admired the Nazi movement and the prowess of Germany in battle.He has been fascinated by Hitler.Perhaps at times he has realized that he plays a similar role in Japan.Second, the Japanese government decided that their naval and army departments would be free to plan military operations against the US Pearl Harbor base, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and Malaya.Third, to send Admiral Nomura, a liberal statesman, to Washington to explore opportunities for a comprehensive settlement with the United States in the Pacific.Not only could this serve as a disguise, but it might lead to a peaceful settlement.As a result, the opposing opinions in the Japanese cabinet converged. Matsuoka was ordered to set off on March 12.When he passed through Moscow on the 25th, he had a two-hour talk with Stalin and Molotov, and told the German ambassador Schulenburg that he would personally describe the details of the talk to Ribbentrop. The seized documents released by the U.S. State Department completely exposed Matsuoka's mission and the entire mood and thinking of the Germans.On March 27, the Japanese envoy was warmly welcomed by Ribbentrop in Berlin as a like-minded man.The German foreign minister bragged about the might of his country.He said: Germany has reached the final stage of its war against Britain.Last winter, the Führer made all the necessary preparations, so that today Germany can deal with Britain anywhere.The military power at the Führer's command may be the greatest ever.Germany has 240 combat divisions, of which 186 are first-class assault divisions and 24 are armored divisions.The Luftwaffe had been greatly developed and introduced new types of aircraft, so that in this field it was not only equal to Britain and the United States, but certainly superior to them. At the outbreak of the war, the German Navy had only a small number of battleships.But the new battleships were being built, so the last one could be commissioned soon.Unlike in World War I, this time the German navy did not stay in the port, but was used to deal with the enemy from the first day of the war.Matsuoka probably knew from reports of the past few weeks that the large German battleships had been very successful in cutting off the supply lines between Britain and the United States. 【１】 [1] Refers to the Scharnhorst and Gneisenauer breaking into the Atlantic Ocean in February and March to launch attacks. Until now, the number of submarines in use has been very small.In each case, only eight or nine submarines, at most, were used against the enemy.Even so, such a small number of submarines, with the cooperation of the air force, sank 750,000 tons of enemy ships per month in January and February, and Germany can provide positive proof of this at any time.Moreover, this figure does not include the huge additional losses suffered by Britain from mobile and magnetic mines.By the beginning of April the number of submarines will have increased eightfold to tenfold, so that by then sixty to eighty submarines will continue to be used against the enemy. The Führer has adopted the tactic of starting with a small number of submarines and using the remainder to train the necessary personnel for a larger fleet of submarines to subsequently deal devastating blows to the enemy.It can therefore be expected that the tonnage of ships sunk by German U-boats in the future will greatly exceed the number that has now been sunk.Under such circumstances, submarines alone can be regarded as an absolutely deadly means. On the European continent, Germany had practically no enemies worth mentioning, except for the few British troops who remained in Greece.Germany would defeat any British attempt to land in Europe or hold on to the Continent.Therefore, it cannot tolerate Britain staying in Greece.The Greek issue is inherently secondary, but with the help of the advance to Greece, it may be necessary to obtain the main stronghold in the Eastern Mediterranean region for further operations. In Africa, Italy has had bad luck in recent months, because the Italian army there is not familiar with modern tank tactics and is not prepared in anti-tank defense, so the British armored divisions have relatively easily captured those less important Italian stronghold.Any further advance of the British army was now completely blocked.The Führer had sent one of his ablest German officers, General Rommel, to Tripoli with sufficient German troops.We had hoped that General Wavell would launch an attack, but unfortunately this did not happen.The British encountered the Germans at an outpost and engaged in a few skirmishes, but then gave up any idea of ​​continuing the offensive.If they happened to attempt another attack on Tripoli (Tania), they would be wiped out.Here, the situation of the enemy and the enemy will also reverse one day. The British army will soon disappear in North Africa, and even flee faster than when it came. In the Mediterranean, the Luftwaffe had achieved remarkable results in the past two months, causing serious losses to the British ships that stubbornly insisted on sailing.The Suez Canal has been blocked for a long time, and it will continue to be blocked.It is no longer fun for Britain to persist in the Mediterranean. Then, if we summarize the military situation in Europe, we should conclude that, militarily, the Axis powers have taken complete control of the European continent.Under the command of Germany there is a vast army which is almost entirely in standby, ready to be employed whenever and wherever the Fuehrer thinks necessary. Ribbentrop spoke of the military situation, then of the political situation, saying: He could tell Matsuoka confidentially that the current relationship with Russia was indeed appropriate, but not very friendly.When Molotov came to visit, we suggested that Russia join the Triple Alliance Treaty, and Russia later put forward unacceptable conditions.These included: Germany sacrificing its interests in Finland, allowing Russia to establish bases in the Dardanelles, and (Soviet Union) strong influence over the situation in the Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria.The Führer did not agree because he believed that Germany could not permanently sponsor such a policy as Russia.Germany needs the Balkans most for its own economy, and therefore does not want it to be at the mercy of Russia.For this reason, Germany has offered Romania an assurance.Especially because of this last action, the Russians were very dissatisfied.Germany again had to forge closer relations with Bulgaria, thereby gaining a favorable foothold from which to drive the British out of Greece.Germany had to decide on this course, because otherwise the campaign would not have been possible.This is also something that Russia does not like. Under these circumstances, relations with Russia were outwardly normal and appropriate, but the Russians had, for a considerable period of time, shown an unfriendly attitude towards Germany at every opportunity.Statements against Turkey over the past few days are one such example.Germany was well aware that, ever since Sir Stafford Cripps became ambassador to Moscow, Russia and Britain had been secretly, even quite openly, forging ties.Germany is watching these developments closely. Ribbentrop went on to say: He knew Stalin personally and thought he had no intention of taking risks; however, this too was not certain.German troops in Eastern Europe are ready to move at any time.If Russia should one day adopt a position that could be construed as a threat to Germany, the Führer would destroy Russia.Germany is convinced that the result of the war against Russia will be the absolute victory of German force and the total destruction of the Russian army and the Russian state.The Führer was convinced that if actions were taken against the Soviet Union, within a few months Russia would cease to exist as a great power.In any case, the Fuehrer was not counting only on the treaty with Russia, but above all on his Wehrmacht. Nor should we ignore the fact that the Soviet Union continued to carry out communist propaganda abroad in spite of all protests against it.It attempted to continue its misleading propaganda not only in Germany but also in the occupied territories of France, Holland and Belgium.Such propaganda was certainly not dangerous enough for Germany.But Matsuoka was well aware of its unfortunate consequences in other countries.The German Foreign Minister gave the example of the Baltic countries, where now, after a year of Russian occupation, all intellectuals have been wiped out, and dire scenes are everywhere.Germany is on the alert and will never suffer any harm from Russia. Add to this the fact that Germany must defend her rear in order to fight her last battle against England.Therefore, Germany will not tolerate any threat from Russia, if it should one day be considered serious.Germany wants to conquer Britain as quickly as possible, and she wants nothing to hinder this activity. This was the solemn word used by the German foreign minister on such occasions, so Matsuoka could not complain that he was not aware of the situation at the time.Ribbentrop then reiterated: The Axis powers have certainly won.In any case, it has no chance of defeat.It is only a matter of time before Britain admits defeat. Exactly when, of course, he cannot predict.Probably soon.It depends on the development of the situation in the next three or four months, but it is extremely possible that Britain will surrender within this year. Finally, he talked about America. There is no doubt that if Roosevelt had not been giving Churchill new hope, Britain would have given up fighting a long time ago.It is difficult to say what Roosevelt's intentions were.It will take a long time for the U.S. arms aid to Britain to really bear fruit, and even then, the quality of the planes delivered by the U.S. will be questionable.A country far from war cannot produce the best aircraft.German pilots called the enemy planes they had encountered so far rubbish. He said that the primary purpose of the Triple Alliance Treaty was to deter the United States from participating in the war.The main enemy of the New Order was Great Britain, the enemy of Japan, as well as the Axis Powers. Ribbentrop went on to say that the Führer, after careful consideration, believed that it would be beneficial if Japan decided to take an active part in the war against Britain as soon as possible.A swift attack on Singapore, for example, would be a decisive factor in the swift destruction of Great Britain.If Japan manages to deal a decisive blow to Singapore in the present war against Britain, Roosevelt will be in a very difficult position.If he declares war on Japan, he must expect that the settlement of the Philippine problem will be beneficial to Japan.He may have to think long and hard before inflicting such a serious loss on American prestige.On the other hand, Japan will gain an absolutely dominant position in that area of ​​East Asia by conquering Singapore.Only then can it truly cut through the mess with a sharp knife. After lunch, Hitler received Matsuoka.The Führer recounted Germany's military victories in his own words.Sixty divisions of Poland, six of Norway, eighteen of Holland, twenty-two of Belgium, one hundred and thirty-eight of France, and twelve or thirteen divisions of England have been driven out since the beginning of the war. Continental Europe.It is already impossible to resist the will of the Axis powers.Hitler then spoke of the loss of British shipping tonnage.The real submarine warfare has just begun.The loss of British ships during this month and the months to come will far exceed its present rate.In the air, despite the British's repeated claims of success, Germany had absolute superiority.The air strikes of the Luftwaffe in the coming months will actually be greatly intensified.The effect of the German blockade has been to make the grain rationing in England even stricter than in Germany.Meanwhile, the war was to go on and the final blow was to be struck against England. Matsuoka listened to Hitler's spiel.He expressed his gratitude to the German head of state for his sincerity.He said he generally agreed with Hitler.In Japan, as in other countries, there are intellectual men whom only a strong man can control.If Japan feels that if it does not act decisively, it will miss a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity, it will certainly act decisively.He once explained to the two princes of the Japanese imperial family that it is always impossible to make perfect preparations and must take risks.Japan will attack sooner or later.Japan's indecisive politicians procrastinated and acted more or less pro-British or pro-American.Personally, he wants to attack as quickly as possible.It's a pity that he doesn't control Japan, but he wants to persuade those who can influence the situation to agree with him.He will succeed one day, but, in the present circumstances, he cannot guarantee on behalf of the Japanese Empire that it will act.He will pay close attention to these issues when he returns home.He cannot undertake specific obligations, but he will personally do his best.These are important reservations. Then he mentioned the meeting with Stalin when passing through Moscow.Initially, he only wanted to pay a courtesy call to Molotov, but the Russian government proposed that he meet with Stalin and Molotov.Taking into account the necessary translation time, he talked for perhaps ten minutes with Molotov and twenty-five minutes with Stalin.He told Stalin that the Japanese were spiritual communists, although he himself did not believe in political or economic communism.This ideal of spiritual communism in the Japanese style has been overturned by the liberalism, individualism and egoism produced in the West.The ideological battle is fierce in Japan, but those who are fighting to restore the old ideals are convinced that in the end they will be victorious.The Anglo-Saxons were the representatives of the most vigorous resistance to the establishment of a new order.He had told Stalin that after the collapse of the British Empire, the differences between Japan and Russia were about to be resolved.The Anglo-Saxons were the common enemy of Japan, Germany and Soviet Russia.After some thought, Stalin said that Soviet Russia had never gotten along with Great Britain, and never would. The Berlin talks continued on March 28 and 29 without changing their key features: first, the Germans sought to persuade Japan to attack the British Empire; second, they acknowledged that relations with Russia were unreliable ; and third, they frankly stated that Hitler was keen to avoid conflict with the United States. Regarding the two important questions of whether Germany will still land in Britain as before, and how to view the relationship between Germany and the Soviet Union, Matsuoka has not received a clear answer. He had asked the question whether, when passing through Moscow on his return home, he should touch on political issues a little, or go into more depth, and Ribbentrop replied through his interpreter: You'd better read your interview. It's just a courtesy. 【１】 [1] Coulter: "Fantasy and Reality", page 301. Of course, I do not know the substance or nature of the secret negotiations in Berlin, but I feel deeply about their importance.At this time, the Japanese ambassador was called by Matsuoka to the European continent to meet with him. I thought I should ask him to bring some contrary opinions to his chief.If Mr. Shigemitsu was hostile to England and America, and committed to fighting us, he must have been a deceitful man; he accepted the task of carrying the letter for me with civility.As a result, he did not make the trip, so I sent the telegram of credit to my ambassador in Moscow to be delivered to Mr. Matsuoka when he returned home via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Mr. Churchill to Mr. Yosuke Matsuoka April 2, 1941 I take the liberty of raising a few issues which, in my opinion, deserve the attention of the Imperial Japanese Government and people. 1. Germany has neither command of the sea, nor can it control the skies over Britain during the day. Could it have attacked or conquered Great Britain in the spring, summer or autumn of 1941?Will Germany make such an attempt?Wouldn't it be in Japan's interest to wait until these issues come to light? 2. With Great Britain and the United States shifting their entire industries to wartime production, could a German attack on British shipping be severe enough to prevent American aid from reaching British shores? 3. Does Japan's participation in the Triple Alliance Treaty increase or decrease the possibility of the United States participating in the war? 4. If the United States joins Great Britain to fight on the side of Great Britain, while Japan side with the Axis powers, is the naval superiority of these two English-speaking countries not enough to enable them to deal with the Axis powers in Europe first, and then pour their combined forces against Japan? 5. For Germany, is Italy a strength or a burden?Is the power of the Italian fleet worthy of its name?Is its false name still as big as it once was? 6. Will the British Air Force surpass Germany in strength before the end of 1941? Will it be greatly exceeded before the end of 1942? 7. As the years went on, did the many countries oppressed by the German army and the secret police grow more fond of the Germans, or less and less fond of them? 8. Is it true that in 1941 the steel output of the United States will reach 75 million tons, and that of Great Britain about 12.5 million tons, for a total of nearly 90 million tons?If Germany is defeated like the last war, is Japan's seven million tons of steel production enough for a single battle? From the answers to these questions, Japan can draw conclusions about avoiding a serious disaster and greatly improving its relations with the two major naval powers in the West. When I wrote this letter, I was in a very happy mood, and now I don't care whether the letter is well written or not. At this time, Matsuoka went to Rome and met with Mussolini and the Pope.On his return to Berlin, he met Hitler on April 4th, and the record kept in Germany of what he said to Hitler at that time is now in our possession.He said Mussolini had told him about the fighting in Greece, Yugoslavia and North Africa and about Italy's role in those campaigns.He ended by talking about Soviet Russia and the United States.The leader said that a man must have a clear idea of ​​his importance to his enemies.The number one enemy is the United States, while Soviet Russia can only be ranked second.The leader used this insight to make him realize that the United States, the number one enemy, must be guarded against, but should not be offended.On the other hand, one should be fully prepared for all contingencies.Matsuoka agrees with this idea. Matsuoka stayed in Moscow for a week before returning home by the Trans-Siberian Railway.He had several long conversations with Stalin and Molotov.The only account we have of these conversations is from the German ambassador, Schulenburg, who, of course, was limited to what the Russians and Japanese were willing to let him know.It seems that all the statements about German power, whether fact or exaggeration, did not convince the Japanese envoy.The German leaders' cautious attitude towards a conflict with the United States cast a dark shadow on Matsuoka's mind.At the same time, he also perceived from Ribbentrop's words that the rift between Germany and the Soviet Union was becoming more and more sinister and deepening.How much he talked to his new hosts about the situation is difficult to say.What is certain, however, is that Matsuoka, having observed the situation from a peculiar vantage point, and having received from Sir Stafford Cripps my telegraphed letter containing many questions, seemed to feel that I was closer to Molotov than to Ribbentrop.At a time when the fate of the great powers depended on a stroke, all Germany asked of Japan was to take the one-shot, irreversible step of declaring war on Britain, and thus possibly on the English-speaking world.Russia, on the other hand, just asks it not to mess up and wait and see.Evidently, Matsuoka did not believe Britain was finished.He was not sure what would happen between Germany and Russia. He does not intend, nor does he have the authority, to cause his country to take decisive action.He would have liked a treaty of neutrality, which would at least buy time for the unforeseen events to reveal themselves, as they must soon. Therefore, when Matsuoka visited Schulenburg to bid him farewell in Moscow on April 13, he mentioned with unseemly caution that the Japanese-Soviet neutrality treaty had been negotiated at the last minute, and that it would most likely be this afternoon. Signed at 2:00 local time.Both sides made concessions on the disputed island of Sakhalin.He assured the German ambassador that this new treaty did not affect the Triple Alliance treaty.He also said that British and American journalists once reported that his trip to Moscow had been a complete failure, and now they have to admit that Japan's policy has achieved great success, which cannot but affect the United Kingdom and the United States. Schulenburg once made a record of the atmosphere of unity and friendship that Stalin arranged at the train station when Matsuoka left the Soviet Union and returned to Japan.The train was delayed for an hour by the firing of guns and ceremonies, which apparently neither the Japanese nor the Germans had anticipated. Stalin and Molotov appeared, and they greeted Matsuoka and the other Japanese in a very friendly manner and wished them a pleasant journey.Stalin then publicly sought out the German ambassador.As soon as he found me, Schulenburg said, he came up and put his arm around my shoulders.We must continue to be friendly.Now you should do everything in your power to achieve this goal.Afterwards, Stalin turned to the military attache of the German army. After identifying the military attache himself, he said to him, no matter when, we are also your friends.Schulenburg added: Stalin undoubtedly greeted Colonel Krebs and me on purpose, in order to attract the attention of many people present. This type of hugging is totally posturing.Stalin must have known from his own reports the mass deployment of German troops across Russia's frontiers; by this time British intelligence had begun to observe it.This was only ten weeks before Hitler's terrible attack on Russia.That would have been only five weeks ago were it not for the delays caused by the wars in Greece and Yugoslavia. 松岡於四月底結束了他的歐洲之行回到了東京。首相近衛文縻公爵到機場迎接。近衛告訴他說，就在當日，日本曾考慮就太平洋區域同美國達成諒解的可能性。這是同松岡的主見背道而馳的。他雖滿腹狐疑，但就大體來說，仍然是一個相信德國會取得最後勝利的人。在三國同盟條約和同俄國締結中立條約的聲勢的支持下，他看不出有同美國妥協的特殊必要，他認為美國絕不會在大西洋對德同時又在太平洋對日作戰。因此，這位外相發現，政府人士的心情同他自己的心情大異其趣。儘管他激烈反對，日本決意繼續在華盛頓舉行談判，並且還要瞞著德國。五月四日，松岡親自把美國送交日本的關於由美國從調停日中糾紛著手，而達到太平洋問題全面解決的照會文本，告知德國大使。這項提議的主要障礙就是美國要求日本先從中國撤兵。 松岡在莫斯科收到我的信，他回國時在西伯利亞火車上寫了一封空洞的復函，在抵達東京後發出。 松岡先生致溫斯頓‧邱吉爾先生 一九四一年四月二十二日 閣下，我剛從旅途中歸來。我願急速通知閣下，我已經收到斯塔福德‧克里普斯爵士本月十二日晚間在莫斯科交給我的一份文件。據他說，這是寄給我的一封信的內容的抄本，原函日期為一九四一年四月二日，發自倫敦，該函現已寄往東京。 當我們的大使準備前往歐洲大陸同我會晤時，貴國政府曾竭力設法給與他以種種的便利，我願對此表示謝意。當我獲悉他不能成行時，我深以為憾。請閣下相信，日本的外交政策是在不偏不倚地審查一切事實和非常謹慎地權衡它所面臨的局勢中的一切因素之後制定的，它始終堅持奮鬥的目標，在於最後實現它稱之為八紘一宇的理想境界這一偉大的民族目的和民族願望；所謂八紘一宇，就是日本人對於普遍和平的概念，在這種普遍的和平中，任何民族、所有民族都不受征服、壓迫和剝削。再者，我想無需告訴閣下，這一政策一經制定，即將毅然決然地但又極其慎重地貫徹執行，並照顧到形勢變化的每一細節。 閣下的忠實僕人松岡洋右 松岡和他在日本政府中的同僚，不久就面臨需要這樣進行不偏不倚的審查的局面。六月二十八日，在希特勒侵俄之後一個星期，日本內閣和皇室官員舉行了一次會議。松岡發現他的地位已不可挽救地遭到削弱。他已經失掉面子，因為他事先不知道希特勒有進攻俄國的意圖。他主張加入德方，但大多數人的意見都極力反對。政府決定採取一種折中政策。 決定擴充軍備；並援用三國同盟條約第五款，該款規定本條約對俄無效。又決定秘密通知德國，日本將對亞洲的布爾什維主義作戰，並援引與俄國締結的中立條約，作為不參與德蘇戰爭的理由。在另一方面，又一致決定繼續向南洋發展，並完成對印度支那南部的佔領。這些決定是松岡所不贊同的。為了要遊說人們贊成加入德方作戰，他把他的一篇演說印成小冊子，以便廣為散發。日本政府禁止發行。七月十六日，他便辭職了。 日本政府雖不打算追隨德國的政策，但是他們的政策並不表現溫和派在日本公共生活中得勢。增強日本武裝部隊的工作正加緊進行，並且將要在印度支那南部設立基地。這是進攻英國和荷蘭在東南亞殖民地的前奏。根據目前已得到的證據來看，日本政策的主持人認定，美國或英國是不至於對計劃中的南進政策採取任何有力的對抗措施的。 因此，隨著這場世界性戲劇繼續演下去，我們便可看到，所有這三個老謀深算的帝國此刻是怎樣鑄成既有不利於它們的圖謀，又危及它們的安全的錯誤。希特勒決意要對俄作戰，這是造成他的毀滅的決定性因素。斯大林一直不知道或者低估了行將落到自己身上的打擊，致使俄國備嘗艱苦。日本確實失去了實現它的美夢的大好機會姑且認為它有過這種機會。