Speech #730131484

The Japanese have not forgotten that President Theodore Roosevelt intervened during the JapaneseRussian War. resulting at Portsmouth in a treaty which they feel deprived them of some of the fruits which should have accrued to them as the result of their victory over Russia. Again. at the time the Hawaiian group was annexed to the United States. the Japanese Government protested this move. and again we appeared to stand in opposition to their interests. When along the Pacific slopes of our country the States of the Pacific coast variously passed exclusion acts preventing the immigration of Japanese and forbidding such immigrants to possess the lands of those States. the Japanese were again offended by us. Even in recent years the Japanese have. through their diplomatic agencies. requested the State Department to lift the ban on Japanese immigrants to at least a quota basis. The circumstances surrounding these events and our course of conduct were clear and above reproach or condemnation. and underneath our actions in these matters that I refer to was the compelling motive of permanent peace. It is very strange that the Washington Treaty. the Treaty of London. the socalled " 10power pact". the KelloggBriand agreement. all designed for fashioning a peaceful way of the Nation. should. so far as our policy in the Pacific waters is concerned. have proved quite otherwise.