103.918/6–2644: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 27—11:58 a.m.]
2309. Friedrich Adam von Trott [zu Solz], 35 year old Legationsrat38 in German Foreign Office in Berlin and allegedly a specialist on the Far East, arrived in Sweden on June 19 on (official business). His last previous visit to Sweden on (official business) was in March of this year (please repeat to Creeks people).
According to a Swedish friend of von Trott (who reported to Legation officials informant, a reliable person), von Trott has been [Page 524] active for some time in an illegal group in Germany and has been the channel through which much illegal literature has been reaching Germany.
Von Trott reported to this friend on June 22 that there is a “Free Germany committee” now active inside Germany. The organizers were sent in by parachute from the Soviet Union. Further, his own illegal group had no political objections to cooperating with this committee because it desired contact with Russians as well as with “Anglo-Americans”. However, no contact has been made with the committee because von Trott’s group had learned through a friend in the Gestapo that there were certain Gestapo stooges in the ranks of the committee, and that some arrests had already been made.
The group of which von Trott is a member is allegedly composed of members of the bourgeoisie, especially Catholics, and some former Social Democrats. It is also said to include a few ex-Communists and to have contact with certain officer circles. This group hopes to play some political role after Hitler’s downfall and is now making plans for a coup against the Nazis.
Von Trott has asked his Swedish friend to contact Madame Kollontay40 and to ascertain possible Russian plans for Germany. The Legation’s informant says the Swede is in a position and plans to approach Madame Kollontay with this request. Around July 3 or 4 another German will be despatched to Sweden by von Trott’s group to secure the answer.
In addition von Trott was put in touch with John Scott, local correspondent of Time and Life magazines by Professor Gunnar Myrdal.41 Scott understands that von Trott requested Myrdal to arrange a meeting with “some American” and Myrdal suggested Scott. The Swede who heard of the meeting reported to my informant that the initiative was taken by Myrdal and that von Trott hesitatingly agreed. In any case the conference was held in Myrdal’s office in the Riksdag42 Building on June 23 and lasted 2 hours. Myrdal was present and the conversation was conducted in English which von Trott speaks perfectly.
On the same day Scott submitted a written report of the meeting to above mentioned Legation official. A summary of the report follows:
Trott was interested in knowing about “Anglo-American”–Soviet relations, could not believe that future relations between these countries would be good and insisted on possibilities of serious difficulties almost immediately.
Trott says he is in opposition to the Nazi regime in Germany but can’t leave because he has a wife and children there. He is risking his [Page 525] life to talk with Americans because he believes such contact must and should be continued.
German propaganda is still at least 50 percent effective and Germans will under existing circumstances go on fighting. The rail system is working well and cannot be destroyed by bombing. The morale among urban people is still pretty good. The Germans will continue fighting on German territory even better than Russians fought on Russian territory primarily because “Anglo-Americans” offer Germans no hopes even to the right to live if they are defeated.
The “unconditional surrender” line plays perfectly into the hands of Goebbels. The Russians have been cleverer with their Free Germany movement, and this has been a factor in the increase of pro-Russian sentiment in Germany. At present there is neither hope in Germany for any effective peace movement nor for successful revolt against the Nazis. The Germans will fight on and the Allies will find a serious revolutionary situation within when they arrive. The Allied administration will be largely in the hands of American military officials whose understanding and respect for the honor and feelings of the Germans are lower than that of the Russians. What will probably happen, he said, now that the Russians will occupy a part of Germany and most of the good anti-Nazi elements will gravitate to that part. Under present circumstances von Trott would act in this fashion.
Asked what type of program he considered to be expedient under present circumstances, von Trott said there were at least two elementary points. First, German military demobilization should be carried out by German officers themselves and should be done slowly enough to avoid complete confusion. Second, Germans must be permitted some type of territorial integrity. (Report ends here).
Myrdal assured Scott that von Trott has been anti-Nazi as early as 1939. Scott does not know the purpose of von Trott’s visit to Stockholm, but believes the German is possibly a Nazi propagandist. At the same time, it is clear that von Trott is accepted in certain church circles in Sweden because of his contacts with similar circles in Germany. Von Trott is returning to Berlin today.