Washington, Feb. 5. The United States Government today informed Japan that it would invoke the escalator clause of the London Naval Treaty allowing the construction of capital ships above treaty limits unless the Japanese Government sends assurances by February 20 that it will not con" struct oversize ships before January 1, 1943 without fully informing the American Government.
The United States Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Joseph Grew was instructed to inform the Japanese Government that the escalator clause will be utilized unless Japan definitely states she is not constructing or intending to construct war vessels exceeding 35000 tons.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.