Office of the Historian

860D.00/987: Telegram

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

Helsinki, November 25, 1942—noon.
[Received 4:44 p.m.]

1154. Well-informed former diplomat in close personal relations with leading Social Democrats as well as intellectuals here told me last night that Social Democratic elements are increasingly determined to bring about removal of Witting and Pakaslahti from Foreign Office and that principal difficulty seems to be to find suitable successor to Witting. Among possible candidates who are spoken of are Kekkonen, Minister of Education,60 Procopé, Minister at Washington, Voionmaa,61 Minister at Bern, and Erkko, former Foreign Minister. Of these only one who has political significance here is Kekkonen, member of Agrarian Party who is considered sound and steady man and who is not unfavorably regarded by Germans but is reported pro-Ally on larger issues of war. Erkko is considered lacking in political authority and is not personally popular. Voionmaa, though intelligent, exercises no political influence and is considered as lacking force. Procopé likewise has little standing here among political elements and his appointment might be regarded as too obvious a bid for American support.

Informant said there was increasing realization of necessity of rapprochement with Sweden upon which any favorable development of Finland’s complicated political position is thought largely to depend. Hence consideration was also being given to possibility of finding Swedish party representative to take Foreign Office.

I carefully refrained from expressing any views on possible candidates mentioned but spoke emphatically along lines of your 225, [Page 98] November 16, regarding Witting. As anticipated in my 1120, November 18, endeavor was made to sound me as to basis for rapprochement with us to which I answered that this was matter for future and not [now] immediate problem was to have a Foreign Minister here in whom we could have some degree of confidence.62

1 expect substance of last night’s conversation will not be long in reaching Social Democratic leaders.

Schoenfeld
  1. Urho Kekkonen was a former Minister of Interior. Antti Kukkonen was Minister of Education at this time.↩
  2. Tapio Voionmaa.↩
  3. A day later the Minister told in telegram No. 1159 of a recent Interview with President Ryti, who had spoken “in most friendly terms both of Britain and United States emphasizing determination of Finnish Government at all costs to preserve relations with the United States.” (860D.00/988)↩