707.1161/13: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Finland (Hall)
19. Developments reported in your telegram 22 of August 26, 4 p.m.,3 are pleasing to the Department with the exception of the statement made by you to the Finnish Foreign Minister that you could not meet the Soviet representative under any circumstances.
When a regime not recognized by the United States has a representative at the capital of the country to which you are accredited there should be no difficulty with respect to such representative in informal and courteous relations as of one gentleman with another. When I was present in 1922 at the celebration at Rio de Janeiro of [Page 677] the centenary of Brazilian independence I had no difficulty in meeting and having cordial relations with the Mexican representative although the United States had not recognized Mexico. Such private and personal relations are, of course, dependent largely on the bearing and character of others, but there need be no embarrassment to the American Government in maintaining its attitude of nonrecognition while permitting ordinary courtesies of a personal nature. You should try to conform to the above suggestions.
- Not printed.↩