Frederick Ferdinand Moore to Mary Rozet Smith, August 9, 1923

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THE GAIMUSHO
[TOKYO]

August 9, 1923.

Dear Miss Smith,

On receiving you letter of August 5 I immediately placed before the proper authorities my own personal request that H. M. Empress receive Miss Addams in audience at Nikko, but I am told by those in authority here that the Imperial Household would be very much afraid to establish a precedent which might cause future incursions into the relief which the Imperial family enjoys from time to time ↑by↓ going to one or another of their ↑country↓ villas. The Household, I am told, will ascertain whether Her Majesty will be in Tokyo between the sixteenth and the twenty-eighth of August, in which case I am told that she will most certainly be pleased to receive Miss Addams. And I am also told that in ↑an↓ informal way a meeting, rather than an audience, might be arranged at Nikko.

After Miss Ballard spoke to you on the subject and told you of her conversation with me, I wrote her to say that I thought Miss Addams would probably prefer seeing the leading men of [page 2] the Japanese Government, and I suggested that I might make engagements for her to see the three principal Cabinet officers, -- that is to say, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the Minister of the Navy. I have no doubt that, if you will give me sufficient notice in advance, I can make engagements with all three of these Ministers; and I should be pleased to accompany Miss Addams and you in her visits to them ↑if you wish me to do so.↓ My idea is that what Miss Addams would really like to learn is how substantial the prospects for a long, if not permanent, peace in the East may be, and I think that a meeting with these men will give her considerable assurance, both from seeing their personality and from hearing what they have to say.

I also said to Miss Ballard that Countess Uchida ↑(the Foreign Minister's wife)↓ informed me before Miss Addams' arrival that she would be pleased if Miss Addams would accept an invitation to lunch with her and would indicate either the Japanese ladies or the type of ladies that she would like to meet, -- these Japanese ladies to be invited to the luncheon. [page 3]

The weather is rather warm here and I suggest that Miss Addams shall not exert herself too much or accept too many invitations while in Tokyo, but I think she would do well, if she could spare the time, to talk seriously and intimately with some of the Cabinet members. I think the effect of them upon her and ↑of her↓ upon them would be good.

With best wishes for her health and happiness, and for yours, I remain,

Yours sincerely,

F. Moore [signed]

Miss Mary R. Smith
Kanaya Hotel
Nikko.