Cablegram 1096 WASHINGTON, 6 December 1941, [9.30 p.m.] [1]
MOST IMMEDIATE [BRONX]
President [2] sent for British Ambassador [3] late this afternoon to say that he was telegraphing Japanese Emperor (text follows in my immediate following telegram [4]). President said that if he received no answer from Japanese Emperor by Monday evening December 8th Washington time he would publish text of his message that evening and that on Tuesday afternoon or evening he would give ‘warning’ to Japanese Government and suggests that in these circumstances British and others give their warnings on equivalent of Wednesday morning Washington time.
The above time table is liable to be speeded up if the Japanese move more quickly.
The President said that he was sending a confidential message to the Thai Prime Minister [5] saying that the United States Government would regard it as a ‘hostile act’ if Japan attacked Thailand, Netherlands East Indies, Malaya or Burma.
News is being published tonight here of two large heavily escorted Japanese convoys (totalling 35 ships escorted by 8 cruisers and numerous destroyers) having been seen this morning to S.E. of Point Camau (the southern point of Indo-China) steaming westward towards Gulf of Siam.
American estimates of numbers of Japanese troops in Southern Indo- China are also being given to press tonight.
British Ambassador tells me that the President does not believe that the Japanese will make an aggressive move as soon as the Secretary of State [6] does.
CASEY
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1 Matter in square brackets has been corrected/inserted from the Washington copy on file AA:A3300, 100.
2 Franklin D. Roosevelt.
3 Lord Halifax.
4 Cablegram 1097 of 7 December on the file cited in note 1.
5 Maj Gen Luang P. Pibulsonggram.
6 Cordell Hull.
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[AA:A3830, 1941, UNNUMBERED]