854.24/95: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)

721. The following telegram has been sent to London:

  • “1. Swiss Minister’s statement that ‘American Government was now inclined to take a “milder view” of Switzerland than heretofore [Page 898] and to regard more sympathetically the claims of the Swiss Army’ is generally correct. The basis for such a statement is that we informed the Swiss Legation of our appreciation of Swiss resistance to current German demands and gave it tangible form by offering an advance shipment of 50 tons of toluol and 50 tons of rubber for the Swiss Army under the Compensation Agreement without waiting for Geleitscheine. Legation in Bern expressed similar appreciation to Swiss Government. As evidenced by Compensation Agreement, there is a tendency here to treat more sympathetically requirements for Swiss Army than for Swiss industry generally. Types of iron and steel to be agreed upon and oats are available under Compensation Agreement, but we have given no indication that the other items referred to in your telegram96 will be supplied.
  • “2. Eight thousand tons of oats are available under the Compensation Agreement in accordance with enclosure 5 to your despatch number 6834 of December 21 (Foot’s letter to Sulzer, dated December 14),97 If additional quantities of oats are required, we would want the statistics supporting the request.
  • “3. We agree with you that the delay in the return of the Swiss delegation to London operates against our interest.
  • “4. Our sympathetic attitude toward the Swiss Army should not operate as a means of obtaining commodities of no interest to the Army refused in the War Trade negotiations for the reason that the Swiss were not willing to make appropriate concessions.”

We assume that in considering possible concessions to the Swiss Army, you will be in a position to verify (1) the Army’s actual requirements, and (2) That the ultimate destination of any increased supplies which may be contemplated will be the Swiss Army.

Hull
  1. Telegram No. 1592, March 5, noon, p. 892.
  2. Despatch not printed; for Mr. Foot’s letter to Hans Sulzer, head of the Swiss Delegation in London, see telegram No. 7117, December 15, 1942, from the Ambassador in the United Kingdom, Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. iii, p. 401.