758.60D11/12: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:08 p.m.]
330. The Swedish Minister told me this afternoon that he had seen Molotov yesterday and had discussed with him the proposed Norwegian-Swedish-Finnish defensive alliance. He said that Molotov had expressed opposition to such an alliance on the grounds that it [Page 321] could only be directed against the Soviet Union and had inveighed against Hambro’s recent utterances. The Minister said that he had endeavored to persuade Molotov that the proposed alliance was not in conflict with article III of the Soviet-Finnish peace treaty and that it was exclusively intended to insure the security of the three countries concerned “as much against England as the Soviet Union.” He said that Paasikivi had subsequently seen Molotov and that somewhat to his surprise Molotov in his talk with Paasikivi had raised no objection to the proposed alliance nor made any reference thereto.
The Minister stated that it is contemplated that diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Finland shall be resumed in the immediate future and that the present Finnish Minister to Washington is under consideration for the post of Minister to Moscow but that his selection is by no means certain. He also expressed the opinion based on statements made to him by Paasikivi that Tanner cannot remain as Foreign Minister16 and that Paasikivi may succeed him and added that he anticipated that the new Finnish government would be an all-party reconstruction government. He said that in the discussions between Paasikivi and the Soviet authorities no trade questions had as yet been taken up nor any matters affecting the political field, but only details concerning the new frontier populations, railroads, prisoners, reciprocal removal of mines, and similar problems.
I inquired of the Minister whether the Swedish Government had been requested to give or had voluntarily given to the Finnish Government an engagement of any kind to enter into a defensive alliance in return for the conclusion of peace. He replied that while there had been no such “engagement” he personally considered that Hansson and the present Swedish Government were under a “moral obligation”, that this was generally understood in Swedish governmental circles, and that a failure to carry out this moral obligation might result in a change in the Swedish Government. He said that at the present time the Norwegian Government was considerably less in favor of the proposed alliance than the Swedish Government and that the Finnish Government had been pressing for the alliance.
Despite the statement of the Swedish Minister that the Finnish Minister is taking the lead in pressing for the conclusion of this alliance, I am inclined to doubt, in view of the present position of that country vis-à-vis the Soviet Union and in particular of article III of the Soviet-Finnish peace treaty, that Finland would be able to enter into any such alliance unless the Soviet Government, perceiving some advantage therefrom withdraws objection. Although up to the [Page 322] present the Soviet Government has both publicly and privately chosen to regard the proposed alliance as directed against the Soviet Union, Molotov’s failure to take up the question with Paasikivi may indicate a possibility that this attitude will not be maintained.
- Rolf J. Witting replaced Väinö A. Tanner as Foreign Minister in the Cabinet reorganization of March 27.↩