2O THE ASSASSIN'S SHADOW LIES ACROSS JAPAN

. . . Tlir nrw Ambassador fa accompanied by his fourth and final
daughter.

Considering that I never mentioned and that my dull imagination
never even thought of the Olympic Games as a useful topic of con-
versation, the Japanese press is clearly more diplomatic than I am*
Of course I didn't say a single word about the " tense situation,"
or about my " final daughter."

PREPARATIONS TO MEET THE EMPEROR

June 7* 1932

I thought it was going to be possible to mark time until presenting
my letters of credence. Not so, for to-day has been about as hectic
a day as I have experienced anywhere. I fortunately got an early
start before 7 and was at my desk in the chancery at 9, which I
expect to do regularly because the staff decidedly needs jacking up
in the matter of office hours*

At ii came Takeo Yamagata, a chief of section under the
Master of Ceremonies in the Imperial Household Department.
Mr. Yamagata said that the Emperor would receive me in audience
on June 14 and that the Empress would also receive Alice and Elsie,
and that after the audience we would return to change clothes and
then would all three lunch with both the Emperor and Empress.
He was very neat and very cordial.

At 7, Neville brought me his telegram to the Department
reporting the talk which the British, French, and Italian Ambassadors
and Neville had had with Viscount Saito this afternoon after they had
held a preliminary conference at our Embassy, it being nearest to
the Foreign Office. The Italian, being the senior, acted as spokes-
man and told the Minister, in which the others concurred, that owing
to the publicity given to Yoshizawa'sl proposal for a Round-Table
Conference in Tokyo, the Chinese were already prejudiced against
the proposal and that it was therefore felt that such a meeting in
Tokyo, omitting the Chinese, would be unprofitable.

The four powers, however, desired to co-operate and suggested
that further proposals should be broached through the Japanese
ambassadors in their respective capitals. Saito replied that he him-
self thought the conference ought to take place in Shanghai with
the ChiBjesc present but that he didn't want to make commitments
before the new Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs should be
appointed, which he hoped would take place next week, and that
the matter would therefore be left open for the present* Gabled
that I had authorized Neville to attend the meeting as I had not
yet presented my credentials. Saito's remarks made it look as if
Count Uchida, president of the South Manchuria Railway, were
going to be appointed Foreign Minister.

1 Former Japanese Foreign Minister.