840.48 Refugees/4719: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 30—1:50 p.m.]
7517. Embassy’s 7284, October 22, 7 p.m.46 The Director has made the exploratory approach to the Swedish Minister and although the Minister shows entire sympathy for the proposal he, nevertheless, states that he does not believe his Government will entertain the idea of approaching the Germans and if it were willing he does not believe there is the slightest chance that the German authorities would agree to release the children. Concerning Sweden’s unwillingness to make the approach he said that recently it had specifically requested the Quisling regime in Norway to allow Norwegian children to go to Sweden to be maintained by the Swedish Government and had encountered a definite refusal. This being the position concerning children from Norway he is confident that his Government will be unwilling to make an approach concerning other children because, first, this would weaken the case as regards Norwegian children for whom it intends to continue its efforts and because second, Sweden could hardly accept a position in which it should be unable to help the children of Norway, a country with which it has close bonds of kinship and sympathy while extending help to children scattered over Germany and occupied areas with whom it does not have the same bonds. The Minister, nevertheless, stated that he is leaving for Stockholm in a few days and consented to put the matter to his Government.