Office of the Historian

841.79658/65: Telegram

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

Washington, December 31, 1943—8 p.m.

1436. The War Department informs us that the Norwegian Government has requested the British Government to proceed immediately [Page 1206] to withdraw from Sweden approximately 2,000 Norwegian “trainees”.23 The British have asked the American Air Transport Command to undertake the job which the latter has agreed to do.

The Air Transport Command is prepared to call its planes which are, in fact, Army transports, civilian aircraft, to operate them with personnel not in military uniform and without armament. It does not, however, desire to operate its planes ostensibly or otherwise as BOAC24 craft.

You are requested to take up with the Swedish Government immediately the conditions under which they would give their permission for American planes to be operated for the purpose mentioned between Sweden and Scotland and inform us as urgently as possible, as it is desired to begin these flights with the least possible delay.

Hull
  1. Air crew trainees of Norwegian nationality who had escaped from Norway into Sweden.↩
  2. British Overseas Airways Corporation.↩