611.5731/170
Memorandum by Mr. John C. Ross of the Division of Trade Agreements
During the conversation on October 28, 1937, between Dr. Koht, Foreign Minister of Norway, and Mr. Sayre, on the subject of the possibility of a trade agreement between Norway and the United States, Dr. Koht referred to the position of countries like Norway in relation to countries like Germany and Italy. He stated that his country found itself in the unfortunate position of being between two mill stones and that it was forced to follow a policy in its commercial relations with such countries which is contrary to Norway’s general commercial policy. In this connection, Dr. Koht mentioned in strict confidence that very recently Germany had made overtures to the Norwegian Government with a view to adhering to the Oslo Convention.