Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, Europe, Volume II

740.00112 European War 1939/9008: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, July 31, 1943—4 p.m.
[Received 4:39 p.m.]

5001. For Department and Stone and Canfield OEW. Reference Embassy’s 4959, July 29, 9 p.m., and Embassy’s 5002, July 31.⁸¹ There follows for your approval text agreed upon between Embassy, MEW and Foreign Office of aide-mémoire to be presented to Swedish Minister. For comment on this document see Embassy’s 5002.

1. His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government are deeply concerned at the position which has arisen in the matter of the agreement ad referendum recently concluded in London with representatives of the Royal Swedish Government, as they are convinced that a prompt settlement on these questions would contribute to the improvement of relations generally between Sweden and Great Britain and the USA.

2. They attach the greatest importance, as the Swedish Government is aware, to the speedy implementation of the declaration, annexes and letters (hereinafter referred to as the economic agreement) drawn up in London. The decision of His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government with reference to this agreement was communicated to the Swedish Minister in London on 9th, July. After a lapse of more than blank weeks since the Swedish delegation returned to Stockholm the two Governments remain without any precise information as to the intentions of the Swedish Government.

3. Although the Swedish Government have so far refused to give His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government the assurances they have asked for with respect to the economic agreement, they have explained this refusal solely on political grounds which will be removed when the transit of troops and war materials has ceased. At the same time, they have informed His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government that they have taken every step in their power to put into force the stipulations contained in the agreement. Further, the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs has informed His Majesty’s Minister in Stockholm that he has in mind at the present no amendments to the economic agreement. His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government therefore consider themselves justified in assuming that the agreement which the Swedish Government will be ready to sign will be the same in all material particulars as the documents drafted in London, as amended in Mr. Riefler’s letter of July 9.

4. By stopping the transit of Axis troops and war material, Sweden will merely be resuming her obligations as a neutral. If consequently such action should be delayed it could not be said that Sweden had made any effort to restore herself to a normal neutral attitude or to show herself ready adequately to readjust her attitude as between the two belligerent parties, notwithstanding the fact that the war situation has radically changed even since the London negotiations.

5. Meanwhile His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government interpret the recent assurances and explanations of the Swedish Government as justifying them in assuming:

(a) That the final termination of the transit of Axis troops and war materials will take effect within a very short time from now.

(b) That the negotiations with the German Government are intended by the Swedish Government to result in the stoppage of the transit of oil and other war materials not already covered by existing Swedish legislation, and in the limitation of the transit of non-war materials to its present annual figure; and that the result of these negotiations will be announced and applied simultaneously with the termination of the transit of Axis troops and war materials.

(c) That in these negotiations with the German Government the Swedish Government will make no compensatory concessions to Germany.

(d) That in any event the Swedish Government will not permit an increase in the transit of oil above the present annual figure.

6. On the basis of the assumptions in paragraphs 3 and 5 above, His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government intend to continue to carry out their obligations as though the economic agreement had been signed and the transit question settled. If, unfortunately, these assumptions should prove unjustified the position would then be that the Swedish Government would have accepted the benefits conferred upon them by the economic agreement without in any way indicating that they were not prepared to fulfill their own undertakings. In this eventuality the effect upon the general relations of Sweden with Great Britain and the United States of America could not but be of an extremely serious nature.

Winant

81. Neither printed.