300.115(39)Pulp Sales Corp./10: Telegram

The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State

319. My telegram No. 318, today.11 A member of Foreign Office this afternoon expressed great concern at continued detention by German authorities of shipments to the United States intimating growing belief here that Finland may soon have to face almost complete stoppage of exports to the United States since every effort made to expedite these shipments had so far apparently failed. He also referred to document issued by American Consulate at Riga on the basis of Department’s telegram No. 122, October 13, 6 p.m., to the Legation at Riga, and inquired why it had not been possible to issue similar documents for shipments from Finland.

For the reasons mentioned in the second paragraph of my telegram number 196, September 25, 3 p.m.,11 it seems desirable to prevent growth of impression here that the United States may not cooperate with northern countries to maintain necessary exports to the United States especially at a time when at least Finnish trade policy is being reconsidered in the light of import license system, exchange control and bilateral balancing as reported in recent telegrams and despatches.

Would it not be possible pending inauguration of procedure mentioned in your No. 138, October 27,12 to authorize issuance of documents for shipments from Finland including those now held in German ports similar to those authorized in your telegram above mentioned to Riga?

Schoenfeld
  1. Not printed.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Not printed. It repeated information contained in telegram No. 174, October 25, 10 a.m., from the Consul General at Hamburg, p. 828.