740.00119 European War 1939/1408: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 14—6:41 a.m.]
290. I called on Mr. Molotov this afternoon to communicate to him the contents of the Department’s telegram of April 957 relative to the Food Conference.58 I then took occasion to outline to him the considerations set forth in the Department’s 210 April 9 which was not received until April 11. I had informed him on April 10 of the [Page 268] contents of Department’s most immediate 212, April 9, which was received on April 10.
Molotov referred to the statement contained in the latter part of Department’s 126, March 9, as conveyed to him by me on March 12, to the effect that “it would be the effort of the American Government to persuade the Finnish Government to agree to the proposal and to indicate to the American Government the general nature of the terms upon which it would be willing to undertake the negotiations” and to the statement contained in my memo of April 2 (see my 242, April 3) to the effect that the American Government felt that it could be more helpful if it limited its good offices to efforts to bring about direct contact between the Soviet and Finnish Governments and if it did not undertake to act as intermediary in exchanging information with respect to peace terms; therefore it did not intend to make any reply to the Finnish inquiry with respect to the basis on which the conversations would be conducted. He remarked that whereas the American Government had at first proposed to act as intermediary up to a point where the Soviet and Finnish Governments were in direct contact and to ascertain the general nature of the Finnish terms it subsequently changed its position by proposing to limit its good offices to the bringing about of direct contact. Molotov asked the reason for the change in our position in this respect.
I stated it was my understanding that my Government all along had proposed to confine its good offices to an endeavor to bring about such contact and that it has not undertaken to act as intermediary in transmitting peace terms.
Molotov stated that the Soviet Government still considered it inadvisable to enter into direct contact with the Finnish Government unless there were a likelihood of positive results. He added that such a move would be harmful to the Allies as well. I remarked that although the Soviet Government had possibly misunderstood the exact role my Government desired to play in its endeavors to bring about peace between the Soviet and Finnish Governments the present communication from the Department appeared to indicate that both the American and Soviet Governments now felt alike, that is that it would be inadvisable to endeavor to establish direct contact if it appeared that such contact would not yield positive results. I informed Molotov that I would communicate his views to the Department.
During the conversation I could not help but feel that Molotov was endeavoring to prevail upon me to admit that the Soviet terms were considered by my Government to be unacceptable to the Finns and that this was the principal reason for our decision not to pursue the matter any further. He appeared to be conscious of the fact that I was not able to be frank with him. My position therefore was most uncomfortable.
- Not printed.↩
- For correspondence concerning this Conference, see vol. i, pp. 820 ff.↩