RUSSO-JAPANESE TENSION  BEGINS TO EASE	_I0g
(5) The Japanese do not expect us to recognize Manchukuo in
the near future. They know our policy and there is no need to
reiterate it, unnecessarily arousing new antagonism. We sacrifice
no principle by silently maintaining our position.
January 24, 1934
Dinner at the Embassy for the Foreign Minister.
Hirota was very friendly as usual but also evidently very tired
from the strain of the opening of the Diet and of answering inter-
pellations. Said it was an entirely new and difficult experience for
him. Our dinner was unusually delicious, beginning with thick
pheasant cream soup, which drew forth many comments, and end-
ing with hot maple syrup on ice cream; there were also trout and
quails. It's easy to dish out good chow in Japan.
SEQTJEL ON SAMBO
January 25, 1934
To-day I was informed that the taxi-driver who had rescued Sambo,
and who had been discovered by the Asahi, had come to receive my
thanks and a present in answer to our wish published in the press.
There was some delay while Alice wrapped up and sent down to
the chancery the wrist-watch which she had bought for that pur-
pose. When, finally, I asked to have the man brought in, there was
a further delay, and after twenty minutes or so Neville and Jeff
came in with somewhat sheepish expressions which finally ended
in guffaws. It appears that while waiting for the present, the taxi-
driver had been assaulted outside of the Embassy by another taxi-
driver whose taxi he had stolen to come to the Embassy, and that
in the ensuing fight both taxi-drivers had been carried off to the
police station, where it was discovered that the alleged rescuer of
Sambo was merely an impostor who had seen the publicity and
thought he could wangle the present. Old Neville rocked with
merriment. I put the present back in a drawer and locked it up.
January 30, 1934
The Asahi man came in to-day with the bona fide taxi-driver
who did rescue Sambo ; we had him come up to the residence,
where Alice gave him the wrist-watch, and a photograph was duly
taken, which appeared the next day in the Asahi, of Alice handing
the package to the chauffeur while Sambo looked on. The chauffeur
was a nice-looking boy and very, very shy and modest. I was glad
to have him get the deserved and probably helpful publicity.
RUSSO-JAPANESE TENSION BEGINS TO EASE
February 8,1934
The chances of war between Russia and Japan continue to agitate
most well-informed persons here. Barring incidents of a provocative