760d.61/348: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 26—1:23 p.m.]
288. My telegram No. 282, October 24.55 Minister of Foreign Affairs asked me to call on him at 1 o’clock today and said that in view of the friendly action of our Government on behalf of Finland he desired to inform me of present status of negotiations with Soviet Union as reported by Finnish delegates who arrived this morning. He said the Russians were still insistent on a 30-year concession of naval base at Hango where they would base not exceeding 4,000 Soviet troops. They also desired territory on Carelian Isthmus from line drawn eastward to present frontier from a point west of and including island of Bjorko56 which would take in good part of first line of Finnish fortifications. Compensation offered would be about double the area desired and in Repola and Porajärvi districts. Further, Russians desired whole of Fisher’s Island off Petsamo with right to fortify it on the ground that they must be prepared to defend that area against both the British and the Germans. As for the Aland Islands the Russians are willing to disinterest themselves provided Finland took sole responsibility for remilitarization there. The Minister said that at latest meetings with Finnish delegates Stalin had conducted the negotiations practically alone though Molotov was present. Latter had asked full report of one question during the meeting, this being whether Finland desired war with the Soviet Union, which question Finnish representatives had merely answered [Page 981] by asking him to repeat the question. Nevertheless conversation had been businesslike and not dictatorial on Soviet side.
Minister for Foreign Affairs deplored the fact that apparently through British sources world press had been enabled to make reference to [the] demand regarding Hango. He understood this point had been raised during British negotiations with Soviet Union last summer and thus British Government obtained knowledge of it.
He concluded by expressing his personal conviction that Finland should not yield the point regarding Hango which he felt would have disastrous consequences that would be equivalent to complete surrender of principle that territory was inviolable. He had reason to believe Russians were reducing forces near the border and in any case could not fight on such an issue. He intimated that other members of the Government might be more timid in this respect but he felt Russians would not go to war to enforce the demand. Finnish delegates would return to Moscow in 3 to 4 days after taking some rest here but the Minister was considering whether he should not suggest that negotiations be continued in Helsinki.57
- Not printed.↩
- Koivisto.↩
- In his telegram No. 291, October 26, the Minister sent the additional information that the Soviet Union had “abandoned previous demand for a mutual assistance pact and the figure of 4,000 troops to be garrisoned at Hango was a reduction from a previously higher figure which was not mentioned to me.” (760d.61/349) The Soviet proposals of October 14 had mentioned that not to exceed 5,000 men were to be stationed at Hango.↩