Circular cablegram M161 (extract) LONDON, 17 July 1941, 10.50 p.m.
IMPORTANT MOST SECRET
Following for the Prime Minister: My Cite. M. 151. [1]
All of His Majesty’s Governments in the Dominions have now
concurred in our proposal to proceed at the appropriate moment
with denunciation of the Commercial Treaty. [2]We are accordingly
informing the United States Government that we propose to take
this step immediately there is any overt act on the part of Japan.
2. The Commonwealth Government have stressed to us the importance
of following up the above action with intensified economic
restrictions. We fully agree with this view and hope to telegraph
detailed proposals as soon as we have received further indications
of the United States Government’s intentions; see my Circ. M.158.
[3]
3. In the meantime certain further possible measures have also
occurred to us. They are:
1. closing of the Japanese Consulate General at Singapore;
2. placing of Ishihara and Okura on the statutory list. [4]
[matter omitted]
_
1 Document 7.
2 The 1911 Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation. The
Commonwealth Govt in fact regarded this as a misinterpretation of
its views. See the cablegram of 19 July dispatched to Sir John
Latham, Minister to Japan, as no. 204 and to R. G. Casey, Minister
to the United States, as no. 631, on file AA : A981, Far East 20B,
i.
3 Dispatched 16 July. On file AA : A1608, A41/1/1, xxiii.
4 The Commonwealth Govt concurred in both these proposals. See
cablegram 451 of 19 July on the file cited in note 3.
_
_
[AA : A981, FAR EAST 20B, i]
_