Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, Europe, Volume IV

740.00112 European War 1939/11–2244: Telegram

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

Stockholm, November 22, 1944—7 p.m.
[Received 11:59 p.m.]

4799. This afternoon the British Minister and I saw Mr. Boheman and I communicated to him substance of the Department’s 2347, November 21, 8 p.m. 9804 to London. Foreign Office had already received this information through a telegraph from the Swedish Minister at Washington. It had already been taken up with the Cabinet and Mr. Boheman informed us in the name of the Government that the Swedish Government accepted without reservation the conditions which had been set forth in detail to Mr. Bostrom. He will confirm this in writing tomorrow.²⁷ The British Minister joined himself entirely with my instructions and we both expressed our gratification to Mr. Boheman at the action taken by his Government.

Mr. Boheman said that the Government plans as soon as the Saturnus arrives to issue a simple statement to the press that all trade with Germany has ceased. In the meantime they will stop exports of all items on our list (see my 4367 of October 26, 7 p.m., 1365 to London and 4441, November 1, 10 a.m.,²⁸ 1401 to London) and will reduce all others to an absolute minimum in line with the Department’s stipulations to Mr. Bostrom.²⁹ It will not therefore be necessary to make any specific statement about the closure of the west coast ports in which the British are interested.

Mr. Boheman’s statement of the action they will take on the arrival of the Saturnus was in reply to a remark from Sir Victor Mallet that his Government would regret seeing the west coast ports closed. Mr. Boheman was of the opinion that when the total embargo on exportation to Germany becomes effective the small craft in which the British are interested will not be in any greater jeopardy than they are at present.

My 1540, November 22, 7 p.m., repeats this to London.

Johnson

27. Copy of letter transmitted to the Department in despatch 4575\ November 25, from Stockholm; neither printed.
28. Latter not printed.
29. See paragraph 1 of telegram 2347, p. 668. In telegram 2734, November 24, 1944, 7 p.m., the Department instructed the Ambassador in the Soviet Union to inform appropriate Soviet authorities of Sweden’s action (740.00112–European War 1939/11–2444).