Office of the Historian

860D.00/1025: Telegram

The Chargé in Sweden (Greene) to the Secretary of State

Stockholm, December 24, 1942—11 a.m.
[Received 12:04 p.m.]

3666. Foreign Minister Günther having expressed a desire to talk with Minister Schoenfeld I presented latter yesterday afternoon. Foreign Minister referred to a newspaper comment on attack in Finnish Diet against Finnish Foreign Minister Witting99 and said that he really felt foreign policy of Finland did not rest with M. Witting. He mentioned fact that Russian Government had let it be known that it did not favor any members of present Finnish Government including President Ryti and Minister Tanner.

In discussing possibilities of a Finnish peace, Foreign Minister mentioned existing Finnish fear that peace at a time when Russia is in ascendancy would leave latter country in a stronger relative position in United Nations effort than at a later date when it might be expected that Britain and America would supply a more decisive blow against Germany. From that point of view it did not seem to be to Finns’ advantage to seek peace at present. From another point of view, Günther thought there is an advantage to Finland which Finns recognize in an earlier peace in that at a later stage in war if United Nations desire aid of Russia against Japan there exists a fear that Russia might demand more of Finland than would be case if a peace had already been established. Günther said Finns are well aware that moment for peace effort must be very carefully chosen also because success of Finland in securing peace with Russia would be considered by Germans as breach in solidarity of states associated with them and might lead to general stampede out of Axis camp which Germans would use every effort to prevent including forceful measures against Finland.

Repeated to Helsinki.1

Greene
  1. The Chargé in Finland reported also in telegram No. 1261, December 23, 1942, that two days previously some members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Finnish Diet had extensively criticized Witting for his conduct of foreign affairs, and particularly for keeping this committee uninformed of developments in violation of constitutional provisions (article 48). (860D.00/1023)↩
  2. This telegram was further repeated by the Department on December 31, 1942, to the Embassy in the Soviet Union at Kuibyshev.↩