859B.7962/154: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Denmark (Perkins)
82. Your 192, May 29, 5 p.m.26 You will please formally request an appointment with the Foreign Minister and read him the following message from me as a reply to his communication of May 17, 1941, text of which you transmitted to the Department in your telegram No. 176, May 17, 7 p.m.:
“Mr. Minister:
Your communication of May 17, 1941 delivered to the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States of America in Copenhagen has been transmitted to me. I beg to refer to a note delivered on April 1826a to the Royal Danish Government stating that the Government of the United States would continue to recognize Mr. de Kauffmann as Minister of Denmark at Washington for an indicated period of time. It would be clear to Your Excellency that, during this period, the Government of the United States would find it out of the question to recognize any other person, or any other Danish diplomatic officer, or any third state, as having capacity to represent Danish interests in the United States.
Note has been taken of your statement that communication with this Government through the American Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Copenhagen would provide an unsatisfactory means of safeguarding Danish interests in the United States. It is to be observed that this channel of communication would appear already to have served satisfactorily for the presentation of your views in various matters, including the matter now under reference. The necessary effect of further restrictions on the existing recognized connections could only be opposite to that which, I believe you will agree, is desirable for the protection of the interests both of the people of Denmark and the people of the United States.
During the present interval, and until more propitious circumstances again prevail, I express the hope that the Government of Denmark will find it possible to maintain the friendly contact between Denmark and the United States of America through existing diplomatic channels, even under the pressure of the present troublous times. I trust [Page 66] you will agree that considerations in favor of so doing transcend in importance any technical inadequacies that may be deemed to exist temporarily in the official relations between the two countries.
Please accept, Sir, et cetera, et cetera.”
You may leave the text of this telegram with the Foreign Office in the form of a note from your Government.