123 M 272/81: Telegram
The Chargé in Finland (Magruder) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 3 p.m.]
2. Minister for Foreign Affairs received me yesterday. I was also informally received by the President who warmly welcomed me to Finland and expressed the gratitude of the whole Finnish nation to the United States for having officially recognized the Republic of Finland. His Excellency also expressed deep appreciation of the assistance rendered Finland by the United States Food Administration. He then inquired whether the policy of the United States respecting Soviet Russia was to act in conjunction with France and Great Britain or to pursue its own independent course. I replied that I was not in a position to answer this inquiry inasmuch as I had no instructions respecting my Government’s Russian policy. The President then said that he hoped our Government appreciated the difficulties Finland was meeting, as the result of the constant threat by its neighbor Bolshevist Russia, in pursuing the foreign policy of its choice.