840.48 Refugees/5802: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:37 p.m.]
1433. For War Refugee Board No. 5. On basis of our experience with Swedish Foreign Office it would seem there would be better prospects of success if our Legation in Helsinki would initiate action contemplated Department’s 724, April 21, 6 p.m., War Refugee Board No. 3, by making approach to Finnish Foreign Office that would [Page 1038] result in Finnish Government requesting Swedish Government to permit entry of these refugees on ground that their lives are in jeopardy in Finland. This Legation would then press Swedish Foreign Office for sympathetic consideration of the Finnish request and offer United States financial assistance in carrying evacuation program out.
In general it should be emphasized that Swedes do not believe that in fact minority groups in Finland are in serious jeopardy. In event of a German occupation of Finland, Swedes say that minority groups are unlikely to be singled out for persecution because it is an established fact that such groups have participated as actively in Finnish military operations against Russia as any other class and have suffered proportionate casualties. On other hand Swedes are seriously concerned with possibility of Russian military operation against Finland which would produce a Finnish refugee movement into Sweden running into hundreds of thousands.
It is because of this prospect which would have major proportions that Swedes are reluctant to initiate any action which might compromise this position beforehand.