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Parent | Agreement of Views Between German and Japanese Navy Concerning the Use of Submarines |
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Date | 20 August 1947 |
Language | English |
Collection | Tavenner Papers & IMTFE Official Records |
Box | Box 5 |
Folder | General Reports and Memoranda from August 1947 |
Repository | University of Virginia Law Library |
20 August 1947 Memorandum to: Mr. D.N. Sutton From: Lt. K. Steiner Subject: Agreement of Views Between German and Japanese Navy Concerning the Use of Submarines 1. The opening statement of Mr. Bramion contains on p. 7 the following sentences: "Japan at no time accepted the German policy of submarine warfare. Japan sought to confine the activities of its underseas craft to destruction of Allied war vassels and not commercial shipping and supply lines. This was the great principle in dispute between Germany and Japan." 2. The affidavit of Admiral Paul W. 'Vanneker (Defense Document 1972) states in this regard on p. 2: "Relative to cooperation between Germany and Japan in regard to submarine warfare, I wish to say that the utter lack of cooperation would be the better topic for discussion. Germany did attempt to school Japanese naval officers in the thought that sub- marines should be used to attack enemy merchant shipping and thereby to cut off the supply lines. The Japanese Navy contended that they could better use their submarines for direct attack against fighting Vessels of the enemy. Hence our proposal was completely rejected." 3. Admiral NOMURA in his affidavit (Defense Document 1606) limits himself to the German requests for increased marine warfare in the Indian Ocean in connection African Campaign (March, April, 1942). 4. Your attention is invited to par. 1d of my memorandum of 18 August 1947, which mentions Exh. 839-A, as showing (in a portion which was not read into the Record) that the Japanese Navy accepted the viewpoint of the German Navy regarding the im- portanoe of submarine warfare "against merchant shipping after the Guadalcanal Campaign in October 1942, and promised to use all its powers for cargo warfare.