760d.61/330: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:45 p.m.]
275. My telegram No. 252, October 15. Minister for Foreign Affairs informed me this morning that Soviet authorities had in fact raised additional far-reaching issues beyond those previously reported. Among them were extensive transfer of territory on Carelian Isthmus containing some 60,000 Finnish inhabitants and effort to exclude Sweden from proposed remilitarization of Aland Islands which he described as effort to “torpedo” that arrangement. There had been also suggestion of concluding mutual assistance pact including revival of principle of so-called indirect aggression which ostensibly led to failure of negotiations last summer between Soviet Union and Western powers.53a
There had been some thought of adding General Walden another signatory of Dorpat Treaty of 1920 to Finnish delegation prior to its departure October 21, but this had been abandoned in order to minimize military aspect of Moscow conversations. Delegation had arrived at Moscow this morning.
[Page 979]The Minister said that any agreement resulting from present negotiations would in any case have to be submitted to individual party groups prior to secret session of the Diet which would have to give its formal approval before arrangement could be formulated as a treaty or otherwise. In the meantime he felt easier about possibility of reaching agreement and seemed to base his relative optimism largely on belief that Russians would not press matters to the point of using force. His advices confirmed existence of serious deficiencies in Russian military organization which had great difficulties with poor transport and inadequate supplies and equipment even during present peaceful occupation of Estonia. Finnish military position was improving every day following receipt of quantities of armament from Sweden and rising production of domestic munitions plants.