[A 6749/6749/45]
(No. 650.)
Sir,
[l^ Foreign Office,
August 25, 1941.
!THE United States Ambassador told me to-day that he had received two
complaints from Mr. Cordell Hull about which he had telephoned to me on
Sunday. Both were concerned with leakages of information from this country
to the United States.
2. The first was a United Press despatch which had reached the United
States on the 21st August. This reported that " an authoritative source " had
said that the President had approved of whatever action His Majesty's
Government and Russia might find it necessary to take to purge Persia of Nazi
influence. The message had also said the whole subject had baen carefully
discussed at the recent meeting of the Prime Minister and President Roosevelt.
As a result of this message the President and the Secretary of State had both
desired the Ambassador to draw my attention to this report, and had instructed
hiiu-to-find out the identity of the source referred to.
3. The second instance was a United Press message of the 22nd August
which quoted a reliable source to the effect that within recent weeks the United
States Government, in informal talks with the Japanese Government, had
suggested the neutralisation of Indo-China and Thailand on a basis not unlike
the position of Switzerland. The Japanese answer to this proposal was said to
be an evasive negative. These conversations were supposed to have taken place
before the Japanese move into Indo-China. Mr. Hull asked the Ambassador
to point out to me that this was only one of many instances in which, shortly after
information of a confidential character had been given to His Majesty's
Government, the United States Government had learnt of stories covering the
matter which had emanated from London. Mr. Hull said he had no doubt that
I would realise how difficult it was to continue to give confidential information
if this was what happened to the messages which were sent to us.
2)—74
I am, with great truth and regard,
air,
Your obedient Servant,
(For the Secretary of State)
t
Sir Ronald QAmpbell,K..C.M.G. ,C.B.,
etc.,    etc., etc.,
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