3Q2	ONE  WORLD I   TWO   WARS
that this action by the Germans was taken in anticipation of Japan's
withdrawal from the Axis. According to another source it is believed
that since Sweden is heavily indebted to Germany for armaments,
the Germans are now demanding in return from Sweden goods
instead of Swedish kronen. Reports are current here that Japan is
now eighty million marks in debt to Germany.
In actual fact Japan is now in virtually the same embarrassing
position from the point of view of international finance as are
designated foreigners in this country.
ADMIRAL TOYODA AGAIN TRIES TO SPEED
THE ROOSEVELT-KONOYE MEETING
October 10, 1941
The Minister for Foreign Affairs asked me to call this afternoon.
He began by saying that although he had given careful study to
the Secretary's memorandum of October 2 he had encountered some
difficulty in seizing the point of the memorandum. He had, how-
ever, come to the conclusion that the three questions concerning which
the American and Japanese Governments held divergent views were as
follows : (i) the maintenance of Japanese armed forces in China,
(2) the respective attitude of the United States and Japan in regard
to the war in Europe, and (3) equal opportunity in China. The
Minister added that on October 3 he had instructed the Japanese
Ambassador in Washington to ask the Secretary whether the United
States Government would set forth in precise terms the obligations
which the United States Government wished the Japanese Govern-
ment to undertake with reference to the three questions mentioned
above. Having heard nothing from the Japanese Ambassador, he
had again on October 6 instructed Admiral Nomura to approach
the Secretary in the above sense. On October 9 the Japanese Am-
bassador had telegraphed the Foreign Minister that he had seen the
Secretary on that date but that the Ambassador was unable to provide
the information which had been requested by the Foreign Minister.
Admiral Toyoda added that a week of very valuable time had been
wasted in an endeavour to elicit through the Japanese Ambassador
information which, had it been received, would have measurably
accelerated the present conversations. The Foreign Minister had
to-day sent further instructions to Admiral Nomura to continue his
efforts to obtain the desired information, but at the same time, in
order to prevent further delay, he was requesting that I ask my
Government to provide the desired information in reply to the
following statement:
The Government of Japan has submitted to the Government
of the UnitedJStates, with reference to certain questions, proposals
which are apparently not satisfactory to the Government of the
United States. Will the American Government now set forth to