740.00112 European War 1939/10–3144: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
3764. From Department and FEA. Your 7245, October 31. Department and FEA are gratified to learn of presentation by you and your British colleague of the démarche agreed upon by the U.S. and U.K. Governments. We cannot over-emphasize the urgency, both from our point of view and that of Swiss, of our receiving a satisfactory reply. We are disturbed by line of reasoning taken by Pilet in his oral remarks to you, especially in connection with transit traffic, which presages a continuation of delaying tactics and haggling, precisely what we had hoped to avoid in these discussions.
We are not clear what is meant by his assurance that transit traffic would reach its “normal state” by end of November. His contention that to embargo traffic might be disadvantageous to us in the future is irrelevant, since we have not asked a complete stoppage of the traffic, but only a reduction according to the formula outlined in our 3433 of October 6.34 Finally, with regard to transmission of relief supplies to German-occupied territory, our strong view is that any conflict between our relief and economic warfare policies must be resolved in favor of latter. Our primary aim is to end the war as quickly and with as little further sacrifice of lives as possible, and we will continue [Page 781] to press for stoppage of every form of aid by neutral countries to Germany.
Throughout current negotiations with Swiss on transit, their replies to our requests have been temporizing and unresponsive. Impression thus created in Washington is extremely unfavorable and is progressively more disadvantageous to Switzerland. In this connection, the Swiss Legation has recently informed us that the Swiss have urgently requested in London the release of 94 tons of rubber and 20 tons of latex to relieve the acute rubber shortage in Switzerland. We had informally advised the Legation that pending a satisfactory solution of the transit question, no consideration could be given to this or similar requests. Legation has indicated that it will cable Bern in this sense.
We deem it advisable that our attitude be known to the Swiss Government while it has our latest transit proposals under consideration and suggest that you informally convey it to the appropriate authorities.
Sent to Bern, repeated to London as Department’s 9243. [Department and FEA.]