File No. 861.00/1234
The British Ambassador (Reading) to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I recently read to you a telegram addressed to Mr. Secretary Balfour by the British Minister at Stockholm stating that he had been told by Mr. Tönisson that, in view of [Page 820] the approaching invasion of Esthonia, he expected the Esthonian Constituent Assembly, which had been duly elected and which was to meet on February 28, would meet immediately and declare the independence of Esthonia. He enquired how His Majesty’s Government would receive such a declaration. The British Minister replied in general terms that the desires of the Baltic people were regarded with sympathy by His Majesty’s Government, who would give them favourable consideration at the peace conference which could alone definitely decide these questions. He added, however, that if Russia were to become a federal state with free institutions it might be more advisable that Esthonia and countries like her should be satisfied with autonomy in such a state.
Mr. Tönisson said that the greater part of the population from Russia had been estranged by the action of the Bolsheviki in Esthonia and that the Bolsheviki had only 30 per cent of the votes of the Constituent Assembly. If the independence of Esthonia could not immediately be recognized by Great Britain, the people would be greatly encouraged in their determination not to be annexed by Germany, if the Constituent Assembly were at least provisionally recognized by the western powers as a de facto independent body until the meeting of the peace conference, and if the western powers would state that a final statement could only be made by the conference. He urged that an immediate declaration should be made before the Germans reached Esthonia, so that they might be faced with a fait accompli.
In view of the above, His Majesty’s Government communicated to Mr. Tönisson their readiness provisionally to recognize the Esthonian Constituent Assembly as a de facto independent body until the peace conference, when the future status of Esthonia ought to be settled on the principle of self-determination.
Believe me [etc.]