MESSAGE #073
Date: February 15, 1941
FROM: Tokyo(Matsuoka)
TO: Washington(Koshi)
(2 parts complete)
Re my # 43
The information we
particularly desire with regard to intelligence involving U.S. and Canada,
are the following:
1. Strengthening or
supplementing of military preparations on the Pacific Coast and the
Hawaii area; amount and type of stores and supplies; alterations to
airports (also carefully note the clipper traffic).
2. Ship and plane
movements (particularly of the large bombers and sea planes).
3. Whether or not
merchant vessels are being requisitioned by the government (also note
any deviations from regular schedules), and whether any remodelling
is being done to them.
4. Calling up of army
and navy personnel, their training, (outlook on maneuvers) and movements.
5. Words and acts
of minor army and navy personnel.
6. Outlook of drafting
men from the view-point of race. Particularly, whether Negroes are being
drafted, and if so, under what conditions.
7. Personnel being
graduated and enrolled in the army and navy and aviation service schools.
8. Whether or not
any troops are being dispatched to the South Pacific by transports;
if there are such instances, give description.
9. Outlook of the
developments in the expansion of arms and the production set-up; the
capacity of airplane production; increase in the ranks of labor.
10. General outlooks
on Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, with particular stress on items
involving plane movements and shipment of military supplies to those
localities.
11. Outlook on U.S.
defense set-ups.
12. Contacts (including
plane connections) with Central and South America and the South Pacific
area. Also outlook on shipment of military supplies to those areas.
Please forward copies
of this message as a "Minister's Instruction" to New York,
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, (Chicago or New Orleans
?) Vancouver, Ottawa, and Honolulu. Also to Mexico City and Panama as
reference material.