760D.61/1253: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 9—8:55 p.m.]
266. Department’s 151, March 8, 11 a.m. Pursuant to the authorization contained in the Department’s instruction under reference I called upon the Finnish delegation this afternoon. They gave me a detailed account of their meeting from 7:30 to 10:30 last night at the Kremlin with Molotov, Zhdanov,93 and General Vasilov.94 They said that the attitude of the Russians had been polite but [reserved?] and that the following terms had been submitted to them.
- (1)
- Hango and the islands immediately surrounding the peninsula on a long term lease.
- (2)
- The proposed frontier on the Karelia Isthmus to start at a point near the town of Eistsalama at the mouth of the Bay of Viborg, running thence northeasterly crossing the main line of the Leningrad-Helsinki railway near the town of Nurmi; thence north of Sortavala, paralleling the Viborg-Sortavala railway at a distance of approximately 15 kilometers to the northeast of the railway; thence to the [Page 308] northeast of Lake Janisjarvi; and thence northeast to the present frontier, intersecting the same approximately midway between latitudes 62 and 63 degrees; this being the Russian frontier, more or less, at the time of Peter the Great.
- (3)
- The western portion of the Rybachii Peninsula at present under Finnish sovereignty.
- (4)
- A strip of territory approximately 75 kilometers long and 20 to 25 kilometers wide due west of Kandalaksha, so as to withdraw the present Finnish frontier from its proximity to the Murmansk-Leningrad railway line.
No conditions were imposed by the Russians in respect of the composition of the Finnish government, nor was any reference made to Kuusinen; nor were other demands of any kind presented, such as for a mutual assistance pact or other political commitments; nor was any reference made to the non-fortification of the new frontier.
Mr. Ryti informed me that he did not have full plenipotentiary powers and that in consequence the terms presented had been referred by the delegation to Helsinski for instructions.
No meeting has been arranged for today but a further meeting is expected tomorrow.
I gained the impression that the terms presented were somewhat less drastic than the Finnish delegates had anticipated and that they are at present preoccupied with three main considerations: (a) that the acceptance of terms considerably more severe than those proposed by the Soviets at the time of the breakdown of the negotiations in November would meet with popular disapproval in Finland; (b) that the Soviet Government may add to the demands already made as the negotiations progress; and, (c) an attempt to persuade the Soviet Government to abandon its demand for the Rybachii Peninsula, the strip of land west of Kandalaksha and to agree to a frontier on the Karelian Isthmus which will not require the surrender of the entire shore of the Bay of Viborg and will run approximately 10 kilometers southeast of the line proposed. They also stated that they were seriously concerned over the loss of the mouth of the Saima Canal which empties into the Bay of Viborg north of Viborg.
The delegates were of the opinion that the presence of Zhdanov and Vasilevsky and the absence of Stalin might mean that the terms presented were those of the military and not necessarily Stalin’s final reply and they were hopeful of being able to obtain at least some modification at tomorrow’s meeting. They stated that there had been some discussion of an armistice but that he [Ryti] doubted the Soviet Government would agree to an armistice until the Finnish Government had committed itself to acceptance of the terms submitted.