19 Feb. 1946 what was said there equally as well as you have demonstrated already that you can remember with respect to meetings with other people that took place years before. A. This was not a meeting at which I was one of the principal members and it was not necessary for me to enter into the discussions, so that differing from other meetings in which I was one of the negotiators, it is natural for me not to be able to recall as many specific details as I might have if I had been directly concerned with it. Q. Now, General, the subject matter of the popularity of the Tripartite Pact in Japan must have been foremost in your own mind at that time, for you had then only recently returned to Germany from Japan and you, yourself, knew how the people in Japan felt about it. Now, I am not satisfied with this type of reason for not remembering what you said to Hitler, for if you were honest in what you said, you must have told him what the conditions actually were and you knew what they were. A. I can honestly say that I do not recall any concrete matters being discussed. Q. Let us try another one. You said that some talk about Singapore came up. You remembered that a while ago. Now, tell us what was said at that meeting about Singapore. A. I am certain that MATSUOKA made no promises about an attack on Singapore. To the best of my recollection the discussion about Singapore arose as to what preparations Japan had made regarding Singapore in case a United States-German war broke out, under the provisions of the Tripartite Pact Japan being obliged to wage war in case of an attack by the United States upon Germany. Q. Just what was said about that and who said it? A. I do not recall who first brought up the matter. In the second place I can definitely state that there was no talk of an attack upon Singapore and whether Japan would make such an attack or would not make such an attack. The last point is that MATSUOKA’s answer, although I am not certain of exactly what he said, was that preparations regarding Singapore in the event that the provisions of the Tripartite Pact would have to be effected, were in the process of realization in Japan - I do not say this is exactly what MATSUOKA said, but it was roughly what he meant. Q. What did MATSUOKA say those preparations regarding Singapore that were then in the process of realization in Japan were? A. Nothing at all was said about what these preparations were. Q. Do you mean to say that the Germans were not even curious as to what those preparations were? A. This came up in an overall discussion and it was not the intention of either party to go into a discussion of any specific point. Q. Then are we to understand that the discussion of specific points was to take place later. A. No. Japan even if she had any specific plans would not discuss them with Germany. Q. Now, General, I do not understand your previous answer when you say that these matters came up in an overall discussion and it was not the intention of the parties to go into any specific item unless you mean that after meeting with Hitler and the overall matters were mentioned that it was the intention of the conferees later among the experts and among the Department heads to discuss the details of this overall matter concerning which you had talked with the head of the Government? A. MATSUOKA had not come to discuss any plans and therefore it was only when, for example the matter of Singapore came up in the discussions that he made any statement upon it. 109