The account describes American hosts initially overlooking Tokugawa because he was outside the formal signature list being discussed. British and Italian delegates treated him as a principal because of his upper-house position and political connections. By December, American hosts are said to have asked the British why they repeatedly invited him to important events. The explanation compared his standing with that of a senior member of the British royal family: an objection from him could carry influence beyond an official negotiating role. Seating, invitations, and access to social gatherings therefore mattered to the conduct of negotiations. His death in 1940 is also discussed as the removal of a possible restraint on militarism, with the qualification that Japan had already been moving in that direction.
Notable Point · 3:16:32-3:22:45
Tokugawa's informal influence at Washington
Conference hospitality becomes an example of how negotiators recognise political influence beyond the signature list they are using.