760d.61/540: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 1—1:45 a.m.]
979. Packer91 telephoned from Riga at 5 following message from Shantz at Helsinki:
“Finnish Government has resigned so that government may be formed with which Soviet Government will be willing to negotiate. Foreign Office asks me to send this to Soviet Government as it has no means of communication with Moscow.”
Urgent efforts are being made to establish communication with a responsible official to whom the message can be delivered. The Chief of the Division of American Countries92 at the Foreign Office who was reached through the employee on guard at the Foreign Office informed the latter at 5:30 a.m. could not see me until 11 o’clock and forestalled the delivery of the message through that employee by ordering him again [apparent omission]. The employee declined to call any other Foreign Office officials alleging that he has no record of the home telephone numbers.