711.60D/96: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:37 p.m.]
928. I had confidential conversation yesterday at his request with former Finance Minister Pekkala. He was desirous of learning what had passed recently between American and Finnish Governments and said Foreign Affairs Committee of Diet of which he is member has vouchsafed no information. Intimating resentment of this secretiveness he said Diet was entitled to be kept better informed. He asserted that he still disapproved Finnish Government’s course in foreign policy as he had at time of his resignation from Cabinet. Mass of Finnish people were on side of democracies and convinced Germans would not win war. They were conscious of necessity for accommodation with Russians with whom Finland must continue to live. Such views however could not be openly voiced though he had made no [Page 89] secret of his position and it was significant that Finnish masses were so little influenced by intense and pervasive Axis propaganda.
I sounded Pekkala as to popular attitude in event American armament should become more noticeable on Finnish front in hands of Russians as was to be expected. He said this would cause no significant increase in anti-American feeling among Finns and would be understood as inevitable.
Though Pekkala represents presently uninfluential body of opinion in Social Democratic Party his group at least shares in even greater degree manifest desire of Government and probable majority of Finns to preserve relations with United States notwithstanding fact that former has gambled on German victory.