740.0011 European War 1939/13512: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State 16
[Received July 29—12:45 p.m.]
313. My telegram No. 298, July 17. British Minister informs me in interview yesterday with Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witting handed him an aide-mémoire to the following effect:
In view of British action affecting Finnish trade and shipping, commercial relations between the two countries were now suspended. Further, Britain had allied itself with the Soviet Union for the war against Germany and that Finland was a co-belligerent with Germany against the Soviet Union, and in view of the recent statement made by the British Government in Parliament that diplomatic relations between Britain and Finland might at any moment be interrupted, the Finnish Legation at London was being instructed to suspend its operations “for the time being” and the British Government was requested to consider the advisability of similarly instructing the British Legation here.
Vereker said he had asked Witting whether this meant the rupture of relations and Witting had answered that it “appeared so” proceeding to discuss the question of passports for the departure of the personnel of the British Legation and related matters.
Vereker reported the matter to his Government last night but had not yet received an answer although British radio this morning made reference to rupture of relations between Britain and Finland.
Vereker told me that he had reason to believe the decision to break relations had been taken by the Finns only after several days’ discussion in the Government following a visit last week by President Ryti and the Prime Minister to army headquarters in the field. British Minister thinks that it was the Finnish military authorities who pressed for rupture of relations with Britain and that their attitude was due to the fear of the German military authorities that presence of the British Legation here was advantageous to Britain’s Russian allies in providing them with military information.
Vereker said he hoped arrangements would be made for the transportation of himself and the members of the British Legation to England via Goteborg in a vessel which might be used to bring Finnish official personnel from London but that there had not been time to consider these arrangements. He thought he would not be leaving for at least a week.
- Information similar to that contained in this telegram was received by the Department of State from the Finnish Minister on the morning of July 29, 1941 (741.60D/27).↩