740.00119 European War 1939/1160: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 29—8:38 a.m.]
883. Local correspondent of Berlingske Tidende of Copenhagen has informed Colonel Woldike37 that at press conference September 27 Foreign Office spokesman stated that Finland, having recovered its lost provinces and formally reincorporated them, its absolute minimum peace aim must be preservation of 1939 frontier.
This statement was banned by censors when foreign correspondents attempted to telegraph it abroad.
The second point made by Foreign Office spokesman was that there was no written agreement between Finland and Germany. He said that basis of Finnish-German relationships remained as set forth in two speeches (1) Hitler’s proclamation to German people on the morning of June 22, 1941,38 and (2) President Ryti’s speech of June 25 [26] last year.39 This statement was passed by censorship. This statement may also be noted in light of President Ryti’s statement to me reported in my 866, September 25, regarding Hitler’s reference to Finland as an ally in the war against Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Same source states that foreign correspondents here, and their wives, have been invited by Finnish press officials on conducted tour of Lapland this coming weekend. He suggested that Finnish Government is desirous of having foreign journalists absent from Helsinki should important news break at that time.
- Lt. Col. Aage Woldike, Military Attaché in Finland.↩
- See telegram No. 2488 of June 22, 1941, from the Chargé in Germany, Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. i, p. 152. For text, see Monatshefte für Auswärtige Politik, July 1941, pp. 545–551.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. i, p. 43, footnote 1. Excerpts from this speech are in Finland Reveals Her Secret Documents on Soviet Policy, March 1940–June 1941 (New York, 1941), pp. 99–105.↩