840.48 Refugees/6089: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:23 p.m.]
1820. This is our No. 20 for War Refugee Board. Discussions have been completed with Lithuanian and Latvian groups mentioned in our WRB No. 14 (Legation’s No. 1738 of May 1632) with respect to evacuating certain groups from these two countries. Prospects of rescuing six or seven hundred political intellectual and racial refugees from each country appear fair although operations are complicated and dangerous. Time element of initiating such operations in immediate future is an important factor. Plans have been checked as carefully as possible and have been discussed on highly secret basis by Olsen with appropriate official in Swedish Foreign Office, who was cooperative and sympathetic and believes the programs have good prospects of success.
Funds to carry out these operations will approximate same as Estonian plan. Please advise as soon as possible of the likelihood of financial support being made available for these operations since it is urgent that preparations get under way.33
- Not printed.↩
- Arrangements were made for transfer of $50,000 of War Refugee Board funds to Stockholm for use in this connection in June, and in August the Board underwrote these operations to the extent of another $50,000. These Baltic operations resulted in direct rescue of approximately 1,200 persons, and at least as many more were brought to safety in Sweden through individual initiative and facilities benefiting from underground routes and communications established by the Board.↩