Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

740.00119 European War 1939/1243: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Standley ) to the Secretary of State

Moscow , January 19, 1943—1 p.m.
[Received 10:55 p.m.]

32. Department’s 22, January 11, 10 p.m. to Kuibyshev.³⁷

1. I have received the following telegram from Dooman:³⁸

• “(1) Henderson³⁹ and I took advantage of a call which the Swedish Minister⁴⁰ made on us yesterday to discuss paragraph 1 of the Department’s telegram under reference. The Minister stated:

  (a) He had not during recent months prepared any memorandum for his Government on the subject of Finland.

  (b) He had not during recent months until January 13 when the subject of Finland was raised by Lozovski⁴¹ discussed Finland with any Soviet officials.

  (c) During recent months in a series of telegrams he had been urging his Government to take steps with the purpose of prevailing upon Finland to come to terms with the Soviet Union but thus far had been unable to obtain any reaction from his Government.

  (d) In these telegrams he had not stated that he, the American Ambassador, or any member of the American Embassy had discussed Finland with Soviet officials although he had suggested that it would be advisable if he or some representative of the American Government were to endeavor to ascertain the Soviet attitude with regard to Finland.

• (2) The Minister stated that at Lozovski’s request he had visited the latter on January 13. During the visit Lozovski read to him a protest against a statement alleged to have been made by the Prime Minister of Sweden⁴² over the radio on December 31 in an address to the Social Democrats of Finland. The Prime Minister was stated to have expressed the hope that the Social Democrats of Finland would continue to carry on the struggle until “victory” for Finland had been achieved. The Minister said that he had told Lozovski that he was unaware that his Prime Minister had made the statements credited to him and promised to make inquiries of his Government. According to the Minister Lozovski pointed out that ultimate Soviet victory was certain and that it would be unfortunate for the Finns to follow advice to continue to carry on what was for them a hopeless struggle.”

2. I have thus far not discussed Finnish-Soviet relations with any Soviet or foreign diplomatic official in Moscow or Kuibyshev. Unless the Department instructs me to the contrary I am planning, however, to broach the subject in my next conversation with Molotov,⁴³ whom I expect to see later this week, along the lines of the memorandum prepared in the European Division shortly before my departure from Washington and entitled “Our policy towards Finland”.⁴⁴

3. I should like to point out certain points of similarity between the statements in the Department’s reference telegram alleged to have been made by me and to those contained in paragraph 3 of Kuibyshev’s telegram number 1084 December 11, 9 p.m.⁴⁵ The thought has occurred to me that possibly this latter telegram may have been compromised.

Standley

37. Not printed; it repeated telegram No. 13, January 5, from the Chargé in Finland, in which it was stated that an officer of the Swedish Legation had read to an officer of the American Legation excerpts from a memorandum by the Swedish Minister in the Soviet Union reporting an alleged joint interview by himself and the American Ambassador with a high official of the Soviet Foreign Office regarding possible peace terms upon which the Soviet Union might make peace with Finland (740.00119 European War 1939/1228).
38. Eugene H. Dooman, Counselor of Embassy in the Soviet Union.
39. Loy W. Henderson, who was temporarily serving as Counselor of Embassy in the Soviet Union and was Chargé from October 10, 1942, until the return to Moscow of Ambassador Standley on January 13, 1943.
40. Per Vilhelm G. Assarsson.
41. Solomon Abramovich Lozovsky, Assistant People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union.
42. Per Albin Hansson.
43. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union.
44. Memorandum for Ambassador Standley, December 18, 1942, Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. ii, p. 112.
45. Ibid., p. 107.