File No. 657.119/222
The Minister in Norway ( Schmedeman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 12 midnight.]
446. In conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs he confirmed figures given in my cipher telegram 440, December 30,1 as the [Page 1109] basis of Norwegian counter-proposal to our proposal of December 20.1 Minister for Foreign Affairs intimated that Norway might be able to obtain food from Russia but appeared skeptical as to this possibility. I have since learned from unofficial sources and in a strictly confidential way that Bolsheviks have offered Norway American foodstuffs lying on the Murman Coast in exchange for financial assistance. Minister for Foreign Affairs inquired whether United States required pyrites evidently with a view to ascertaining whether Norwegian production could be sold to United States. With regard to pyrites I am informed confidentially that Germany has offered Norway a certain quantity of foodstuffs not specified against pyrites in compensation. For the present I am unable to obtain confirmation of unofficial information above mentioned.
A meeting of representatives of the three Scandinavian Kingdoms begins here today for the purpose of arranging interchange of products between the three countries. This meeting was determined upon at the conference of the three Kings last November. Department will be kept informed in this connection.
Minister of Foreign Affairs is apparently intentionally slow in providing the Legation with information about Norwegian proposals in the negotiations with the United States. I therefore respectfully request the Department to telegraph Legation without delay substance of any proposal made by the Norwegian Government as well as our proposals to them. Copy furnished Ambassador at London by telegraph.
- Foreign Relations, 1917, Supplement 2, vol. II, pp. 1110–1111.↩
- See telegram No. 6082 of Dec. 20, 1917, to the Ambassador in Great Britain, ibid, pp. 1087–1091. Letter containing the American proposal referred to was actually dated Dec. 19, 1917, and was handed to Doctor Nansen on Dec. 20; it is referred to here and in several other documents as the “proposal of Dec. 20.”↩