Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, General, The Soviet Union, Volume I

740.0011 European War 1939/12677: Telegram

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

Washington, July 2, 1941—7 p.m.

128. I approve of your proposal to seek an early audience with President Ryti as referred to in your no. 249⁵ and suggest the following line for the conversation:

You not long ago had occasion to inform President Ryti in the clearest terms of the determination of the people and Government of the United States to resist the forces of aggression with all the means at their disposal. The question has now arisen whether Finnish policy with regard to this vital matter does not thwart in a large measure your Government’s policy in that regard in that certain recent actions of the Finnish Government appear to be broader in scope than required solely for the protection of purely Finnish interests against alien attack and, in fact, are bringing about a situation whereby Finnish resources may become subservient for an indefinite period to German objectives outside Finland.

In recent days the Finnish Minister in Washington has inquired of several officers of your Government regarding its attitude toward Finland in view of recent developments. He has been informed in reply that your Government must await further information regarding Finnish intentions before it can be in a position to make a statement in that connection. Any explicit statements pertinent to Finnish intentions which President Ryti may make to you at this time would doubtless be of assistance to your Government to that end. Furthermore, until a clarification of Finnish policy can be satisfactorily effected, it will be impossible for your Government to reach a decision as to what further assistance it may be in a position to give Finland in the financial, economic and political fields should the occasion therefor arise.

If President Ryti makes inquiry of you with respect to our proposed assistance to the Soviet Union, you may hand him copies of my statements in that relation contained in radio bulletin no. 148 and the President’s statements contained in bulletin no. 149 of June 23 and 24 respectively⁶ and say that they represent your Government’s policy in that regard.

Welles

5. Not printed. Minister Schoenfeld proposed to inquire of President Ryti “the scope of Finnish Government’s cooperation with the Germans in hostilities against Soviet Union and engagements taken by the Finnish and German Governments towards each other, both with reference to prosecution of the war and the peace settlement.”
6. For the statement by Acting Secretary Welles contained in radio bulletin No. 148, see telegram No. 836, June 23, to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, p. 767. An account of the remarks by President Roosevelt referred to in radio bulletin No. 149 is in the New York Times, June 25, 1941, p. 1.