Sir Cecil Spring Rice (1861–1918) and Japan

9 Sir Cecil Spring Rice (1861–1918) and Japan IAN NISH Cecil Spring Rice (Sir) Cecil Spring Rice (1861–1918) was involved in Japan in three phases of his career. First, as a young diplomat at a time when work was relaxed, he was able to wander around and study the country at the grass roots. The second was his role during the Russo-Japanese War, when he played an important behind-the-scenes role. The last was his period as ambassador in Washington during the First World War when Japan was one of the divisive issues between Britain and the United States. Educated at Eton and Balliol College, he distinguished himself in both places, graduating from Oxford with a double fi rst. More important were the contacts he made in both. At Eton and Balliol he was a contemporary of George Nathaniel Curzon; Sir Edward Grey who was at Winchester was two years his junior at Balliol. It had always been assumed that he would try to enter the Foreign Offi ce where his father had served; and when the entrance examination for clerkships was eventually held, he topped the list of entrants and was admitted in 1882. When the Gladstone cabinet was formed in 1886, Lord Rosebery was appointed foreign secretary. Spring Rice was selected as his 112 SIR CECIL SPRING RICE (1861–1918) assistant précis writer. His senior was Ronald Munro Ferguson, a former guardsman who had become an MP. The two forged a relationship which was to endure and they exchanged letters throughout their lives. Though the ministry was short-lived, Spring Rice greatly admired Rosebery and his Liberal approach. The next friendship which was to infl uence Spring Rice’s career was that of Theodore Roosevelt who had just failed as the Republican candidate in the election for mayor of New York. He met him on the boat returning from a holiday in the US and acted as best man at Roosevelt’s wedding on 2 December 1886 at St George’s, Hanover Square, as the bridegroom ‘knew nobody in London.’1 The friendship thus formed had immense consequences: ‘it meant the most powerful American of his generation could call on one of the best brains in the British diplomatic service.’ Spring Rice was shortly posted to Washington and had a long period of sustained service there (1887–95), interrupted by a period back in Whitehall, 1888–9, and a brief posting to Japan, 1892–3. During this period he got to know a most infl uential group of Repub- licans, including Henry Adams, John Hay and Cabot Lodge with all of whom he kept up a regular correspondence. He shared with them a determination to prevent any breakdown of good relations between US and Britain. AFFECTION FOR JAPAN Spring Rice joined the legation at Tokyo in April 1892, having converted to the diplomatic service. At this time there was a divi- sion of the Foreign Offi ce which linked Washington and Tokyo, the so-called American and Far Eastern department. It was therefore natural for him to be transferred within the group.2 The legation came under Hugh Fraser3 as minister who went on leave on 27 June 1892; and Maurice de Bunsen, then secretary of legation, assumed charge in his absence. Spring Rice found Fraser and de Bunsen with whom he was billeted ‘congenial colleagues.’ He frankly admits that the post was not too demanding except when the mail steamer was about to sail: There is not very much work here but I fi nd plenty to do in reading up old despatches and learning the language and trying to get hold of this Far Eastern question which is a very interesting one. 4 He devoted much time to language study and learnt a lot about Japanese society from his ‘teacher.’ He was also an eager traveller and undertook trips to the Inland Sea, to Hakone and Mount Fuji, Kobe and the Kansai coast. He was full of curiosity about Japanese 113.

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