Office of the Historian

860D.00/906: Telegram

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

Helsinki, December 22, 1940.
[Received December 22—4:55 p.m.]

495. Minister [of] Defense, General Walden, who became Acting Prime Minister upon accession Ryti to Presidency Republic,83 tendered Cabinet’s resignation yesterday. President requesting them to remain office pending formation new government.84

Schoenfeld
  1. Risto H. Ryti was elected on December 19, 1940, as President of the Republic of Finland by 288 votes to 12 scattered or blank votes, following the resignation and sudden death of Kyösti Kallio. A message of sympathy from President Roosevelt on the death of Kallio is printed in Department of State Bulletin, December 28, 1940, p. 583.↩
  2. A reconstructed Council of State was appointed on January 3, 1941, with Jukka (Johan) W. Rangell, formerly Acting Governor of the Bank of Finland, as Prime Minister.↩