860D.00B/214: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:10 p.m.]
346. Reference telegram No. 951, August 2, from Embassy Moscow.44 Minister for Foreign Affairs informed me this morning that he had discussed with Soviet Minister here effort of the dissident group of Social Democrats known as Society of Friends of the Soviet Union45 to create difficulties and had pointed out that they had been threatening their opponents with dire retribution here and alleged supporters in the Soviet Union, including the threat of renewed bombing of Finnish towns and individual execution by the firing squad. He had suggested that no such activity would be tolerated in the Soviet Union and made it plain that it would not be permitted here.46 The Minister for Foreign Affairs told me that of course any pretext would serve the Soviet authorities if they were disposed to force an issue, but I gained definite impression that Finnish Government is not disposed to compromise on the question of law and order within the country.
- Not printed.↩
- This society, sometimes referred to as the Society for Peace and Friendship between Finland and the Soviet Union, apparently was founded in May 1940 by Mauri Ryömä, a student, and Lauri Vilenius, a laborer. Both leaders were sentenced to jail on September 7, and the society itself was ordered dissolved by decree of the Municipal Court of Helsinki on December 23, 1940.↩
- On the next day, in his telegram No. 349, the Minister in Finland said that Prime Minister Ryti told him that it was known that considerable funds had been sent from the Soviet Union to the agitators responsible for recent disturbances in Finland. While these disorders had been insignificant, they were expected to cease entirely “in view of new police regulations prohibiting gatherings of more than 30 persons without permit and granting additional police powers in relation to public meetings.” (860D.00B/215)↩