760d.61/358: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:18 p.m.]
295. My telegram number 288, October 26. Minister for Foreign Affairs informed me this afternoon that Molotov had recently asked German Ambassador at Moscow to use his influence with the Swedish Government through Swedish Minister there with a view to having Swedish Government urge upon Finnish Government acceptance of Soviet demand regarding concession for naval base at Hango which Soviet Foreign Commissar described as a proposed Russian Gibraltar. Swedish Government had taken the position in reply to this démarche that it would support the Finnish Government in its opposition to this demand.
Erkko then read me a personal note in German which he said had already been sent by him to the German Minister here and to the effect that the German Government in view of its well known and frequent declarations regarding dictation imposed upon it by other nations was in particularly good position to appreciate that Finland could not permit any breach in its essential defenses such as would be involved in the proposed Gibraltar in the Baltic especially considering that the power demanding it already had such strong positions on the south shore and islands of that sea. The personal note was couched in correct but unmistakable language and the Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed to me his belief that its contents would be known promptly in Moscow and serve as preliminary notice of the forthcoming answer of the Finnish Government to latest Soviet proposals.
Meanwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs said Finnish parliamentary party leaders had been consulted on various points relating to proposed response to Soviet Government since it was the intention of the Government here to have full support of united nation in this decisive stage of the negotiations, though it was also intended to frame the Finnish statement in most appropriate manner possible with conscious appreciation of the unaccountable reactions of the Asiatic minds at Moscow which might easily be more dangerous on unessentials than [Page 984] on matters of substance. I did not press the Minister for details believing that the essence of the situation was presented in the foregoing. He said he did not know when Finnish delegation would return to Russia, it being intended to postpone return as long as possible within reason.