740.0011 European War 1939/27519: Telegram

The Minister in Sweden ( Johnson ) to the Secretary of State

[Extract]

302. When I saw Boheman57 this afternoon (see my 301, January 26, 11 p.m.58) he said that Finnish Cabinet Ministers Tanner59 and Fagerholm60 had among other things come here (1) for purpose of sounding Swedish official opinion on German-Russian military situation and for help and advice and (2) to solicit Swedish assistance in improving relations with United States. With respect to (1) they have been frankly told according to Boheman that there is nothing Sweden can do to help Finland in its present difficult position, that problem of how to extricate themselves is one that they will have to solve themselves. Boheman also said that Finns have been warned that labor opinion in Sweden is becoming increasingly hostile to Finland’s [Page 227] war against Russia and that as a political factor this opinion could not be ignored. Sweden shares to full, however, Finnish anxieties as to unknown course and scope of Soviet ambitions. Boheman remarked with some irony that this is first time since war started that any initiative for an exchange of views has come from Finland, that up to present Finnish Government has been exceedingly cool to Sweden in diplomatic and political matters.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Johnson
  1. Erik Boheman, Secretary General of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
  2. Not printed.
  3. Väinö A. Tanner, Finnish Minister of Finance, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
  4. Karl August Fagerholm, Finnish Minister of Social Welfare.