Washington, Sept. 13.
Although the State Department admitted that Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Naval Operations, had conferred with Mr. Stanley K Hornbeck, Adviser on Political Relations, and Mr. Maxwell M. Hamilton, head of the Far Eastern Affairs Division, on China problems. it denied today that they had discussed the disposition of the U.S. Fleet in Oriental waters in even of war in Europe.
The State Department said that the conference was a routine procedure and similar to many held it recent weeks regarding China, including navigation on the Yangtze River.
Officials of the State Department refused to disclose what results regarding the opening of the Yangtze River to American merchant vessels and trade were reached.
It was understood that there was nothing new on the situation despite recent requests by American business interests in China that the State Department take steps for immediate restoration of American trading rights in China in areas occupied by Japanese forces.
The Japanese have consistently replied to American requests f the opening of the Yangtze River that navigation was unsafe at the present time because of the dangers of hundreds of floating mines—
United Press
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.
