123 Hamilton, Maxwell M.: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Soviet Union ( Kennan )

2664. The President has approved the assignment of Maxwell M. Hamilton to Helsinki as “United States Representative in Finland” with the personal rank of Minister.9 He would represent our interests [Page 627] in the same manner as the United States representatives who are being sent to Rumania and Bulgaria.10 He would not, of course, have any functions in connection with the Allied Control Committee [Commission] nor would his appointment involve the re-establishment at this time of diplomatic or consular relations with Finland. At the same time the United States Government would expect that its representative and his staff would be afforded every facility for informal contact with the Finnish Government and public and full freedom of movement and communication, including the right to send cypher messages, in order that he might effectively meet his responsibilities for the care and protection of American interests. We propose to send Randolph Higgs,11 now at Stockholm on a temporary assignment to Helsinki to open the office of the “United States Mission in Finland” pending Hamilton’s arrival.

In view of the contents of your 4188, Nov. 1, 11 a.m., we do not anticipate that the Soviet authorities would raise any obstacles in the way of the fulfillment of Hamilton’s mission.

Please communicate the foregoing, therefore, to the Soviet Foreign Office in a note for its information. London is also being informed. You may state orally that Higgs will proceed in the near future and Hamilton shortly thereafter. While not requesting Russian consent, you should endeavor to obtain oral confirmation of our assumption that no objections will be raised.

Sent to Moscow, repeated to Stockholm as Department’s 2280 for information.

Stettinius
  1. Approval was granted by the President on November 11; the appointment was actually made on December 8, 1944.
  2. For correspondence relating to the establishment of United States representation in Rumania and Bulgaria, see vol. iv , section under Rumania entitled “Post armistice problems of occupation and control …” and ante, pp. 481 ff.
  3. L. Randolph Higgs had been assigned as Second Secretary of Legation and Consul in Sweden on April 27, 1944.