740.00112 European War 1939/8–1744: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
6607. On Friday, August 18, the British Embassy here showed us Foreign Office telegram (your 6635, August 1743) setting forth the latest British observations on the proposed joint approach to Sweden, In summary the British urge (1) that presentation of joint message be deferred until Soviet clearance is received; (2) that the threat of sanctions be omitted from the supplementary oral remarks to be made by Mallet and Johnson; and that (3) as a substitute for the threat of sanctions Mallet and Johnson make an oral statement to the following effect: (a) the British and American Governments are far from satisfied with Swedish action up-to-date in the matter of suspension of sailings to German ports; (b) the two Governments are not prepared, as proposed by the Swedes, to await a serious Finnish peace offer to the Soviet Union before the Lulea iron ore traffic is stopped; and (c) the two Governments must therefore ask for a definite program of the proposed Swedish steps and the dates on which such steps will be taken, and in particular must know at once by what date all Swedish sailings to German ports will have been stopped.
Our views are as follows: The Soviet Government (see Moscow’s 3056, August 18, which was repeated to London and to Stockholm) has instructed the Soviet Minister in Stockholm to support the joint démarche of the British and American Ministers there. The Soviet Government also supports the Anglo-American initiative with a view to impelling Sweden radically to change its policy in relation to Germany and furthermore supports the Anglo-American proposals in relation to the cessation of all Swedish trade “with Germany and its Allies in Europe in the North as well as in the Baltic Seas”. Accordingly we desire that the joint message as previously agreed upon be delivered to the Swedish Government on Monday, August 21.
With respect to the supplementary oral remarks we reserve the position which we have previously maintained, namely, that if necessary we are prepared to present the Swedes with formal demands coupled with a threat to take certain measures available to us if our demands are not complied with. With a view however to getting on with this matter as urgently as possible we nevertheless agree to omit the threat of sanctions from the oral explanations to be made by Johnson and Mallet on Monday and to substitute therefor the British suggestions outlined above. We must insist, however, upon the inclusion [Page 616] in the remarks of the two Ministers, as under instructions from their respective Governments, of the other material referred to in the second paragraph of our 6466, August 16, to London. We also must insist that Johnson and Mallet make clear to the Swedish Government that we expect a very prompt and unequivocal reply to the joint message and supplementary oral statements and that the Anglo-American requirements cannot be considered as having been satisfactorily met until the Swedish Government has terminated all trade relations with the enemy and radically changed its policies with respect to Germany. Johnson is also instructed to say nothing himself and to avoid seeming to acquiesce in any statements by his British colleague that might in any way be taken by the Swedish Government to preclude subsequent formal American demands coupled with the threat of retaliatory measures in case the demands are not complied with.
We are willing to go thus far in meeting the British proposals because Johnson, as reported in his 3133 [3123], August 16, has already placed on record at the Swedish Foreign Office the possibility that unless the Swedish Government of its own volition takes prompt action to meet the American military requirements, the Swedes will be presented with formal demands.
Please bring the foregoing to the immediate attention of the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Economic Warfare. We are informing the British Embassy here.
Johnson is instructed to inform Madame Kollontay in detail of our proposed steps in order that she may synchronize with him the execution of her instructions from Moscow.
Sent to London and repeated to Stockholm as No. 1656 Aug. 19 for action and repeated to Moscow for information as No. 1977.
- Not printed.↩