case of a war with Russia* Both ambassadors informed me and CIANO entirely confidentially and personally of this, but on the other hand immediately refused Tokyo on their own accord to present such a fundamental change of - the German^Italian draft in Berlin and Rome* They once Store stood up for the acceptance of the original suggestion and declared that they would have to resign from their posts in the event of a different decision of the Japanese cabinet* "Subsequently at the beginning of April a Japanese draft arrived from Tokyo which fundamentally corresponded to the German and Italian draft but, however, reduced the duration of the agreement to five years* The earlier Japanese wish to limit the obligation of assistance only to the case of Russia was, however, still retained in a weakened form, that the Japanese would ask for our express approval to be able to give, after the signing and publica¬tion of the pact, a declaration to the English, French and American ambassadors with roughly the following contents 8 The pact had developed from the Ant i - Con int e r n Pact; the partners had looked upon Russia as being the enemy; England, France and America had no need to feel that they were concerned in this* Tl^e Tokyo cabinet gave as a reason for the necessity of such a limited interpre¬tation of the pact the fact that Japan, for political and in particular, for economic reasons was at the moment not yet in a position to come forward openly as the opposer