859A.01/130: Telegram
The Minister in Iceland (Morris) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:40 p.m.]
177. Some further background on Danish King’s message (see my 171, May 5, 9 p.m.) has come to light. When Danish Minister de [Page 986] Kauffmann5 passed through Iceland April 29 he told the Norwegian Minister that at the Danish Minister’s meeting in London Reventlow,6 Kauffmann and de Fontenay7 agreed to send a message to the Danish King via Sweden asking his opinion on the matter of Icelandic independence. This inquiry may have given rise to the King’s message. People here thought de Fontenay was behind the message, but the Foreign Minister8 told me today that he and his colleagues do not share this opinion.
There is general regret that the King was so ill-advised as to comment at this late date thereby injuring his personal status. The opinion seems unanimous that his message will not affect the outcome. Moderate and inactive people feel that Icelanders were also at fault, that they could have kept the King informed and saved his dignity, rather than handling the matter with political rudeness which makes the King feel he is being overthrown. In this connection the Foreign Minister told me in March of this year, after the Althing resolution to hold a plebiscite had been agreed to, that the Icelandic Government sent a message through its Legation in Stockholm to its Legation in Copenhagen to inform the Government and King of this fact and received a report that the message had been delivered but no acknowledgment from the King or Danish Government was received.