740.0011 European War 1939/12467: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 25—5:20 p.m.]
228. Ministry for Foreign Affairs informed me at 4:35 this afternoon that up to 3 p.m. today some 16 Soviet aircraft had been shot down in various parts of the country and one seaplane captured by a coast guard vessel after a forced landing. Bombing had been widespread in nearly all parts of the country with civilian casualties considerable, Soviet forces having been used in some places including groups of as many as 50 planes.
Minister said this seemed to be answer of Soviet Government to his oral protest to Soviet Minister against incidents on June 22 and 23. Finnish Chargé d’Affaires at Moscow had been informed by Soviet Foreign Office yesterday that Finland’s “attack” on Soviet Union would not be forgotten and would be avenged by 200,000,000 Russians at some future date. The Minister did not tell me what the official statement to be made by the Prime Minister in the Diet this evening will contain but he greeted me with the words: “We are in the war again.” He gave me to understand that the Swedish attitude apparently remained one of aloofness.
I handed the Minister of Foreign Affairs a copy of Acting Secretary Welles’ statement to the press on June 23,99 which he took with him to a Cabinet meeting immediately following our conversation but did not read prior to my departure.
The Minister told me it was hoped air attacks on Helsinki would be relatively ineffective by reason of greatly improved anti-aircraft defense and that the Diplomatic Corps were not being advised to leave. [Page 43] He felt that present trial would not be of long duration and gave me to understand that the Germans had expressed themselves as very well satisfied with their progress since hostilities began, claiming that they were further advanced than they expected. Witting expressed thankfulness that Finland did not this time stand alone, clearly implying reliance upon German assistance. He intimated that according to information available to him the Soviet authorities had already issued instructions to attack Finland presumably by land as well as by air.
I think Finnish Government feels that incidents which have thus far taken place are clearly acts of war. In this relation the Minister called my attention to the fact that Soviet aircraft have been shot down in Finnish territory.