Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: Political and Economic Matters, Volume II

S/AE Files

The Minister in Sweden (Johnson) to the Commanding General, Manhattan Engineer District (Groves)

Stockholm, September 22, 1945.

My Dear General Groves: I received your Top Secret letter of July 6 in London on July 14 from Major Harry S. Traynor. I now enclose the original copy in English of a note to me from Mr. Östen Undén, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, and signed by him. The contents of this note are self-explanatory. A copy was handed by the Foreign Minister to the British Minister and has, I understand, been transmitted by him to London.

Mr. Undén gave, on behalf of his Government, the oral assurance that until the legislation contemplated by the note has become effective, which will put control of uranium-bearing materials completely in the hands of the Government, that the Swedish Government will, through the machinery of existing law, control and prevent the exportation of any uranium-bearing materials. The Government will simply refuse to issue any licenses for export of this material. I understand that the legislation is to be introduced into Parliament early in October and within a month or six weeks thereafter should be in full effect. I requested Mr. Undén also to agree that if any request, formal or informal, by any foreign Power to obtain use of or control of uranium-bearing materials in Sweden should be presented to his Government, that the United States and Great Britain would be immediately informed. Mr. Undén said that he personally was willing to give such an assurance but that he would have to consult with the Prime Minister and certain other colleagues in the Government and get their approval. On September 13 he sent for me and stated that he was authorized to give a formal oral assurance that the United States and Great Britain would be informed immediately of any request by any foreign Power to obtain use of or control of uranium-bearing materials in Sweden, which request might be of a “serious” nature. He explained the expression “serious” by saying that if an ordinary commercial request should be made for supplies of this material, for instance as a coloring agent in the manufacturing of pottery glazes, it would not be considered a “serious” request. In any event, whether the request should be “serious” or not, exportation would be prohibited by the proposed legislation, and in the meantime licenses for export for any purpose would be refused by the Government.

It is my considered opinion that the obligations undertaken by the Swedish Government in the solemn declaration which is embodied in this note fully achieve our essential purposes. The requests we made in the original draft for exploitation and exclusive export rights to this material were in my opinion impracticable from the Swedish point of view and unobtainable under present world conditions.

I would like to express to you the appreciation I feel for the very able and invaluable services of Colonel Lansdale and Major Vance in the negotiation of this agreement. Colonel Lansdale will fill in this report to you orally when he returns to Washington. He and Major Vance kept a daily record of our progress and that, I believe, is already in your hands.

I should add that no papers in connection with this matter are being kept in the files of this Legation. All those papers which Colonel Lansdale and I considered important are being returned to Washington and the others are being burnt. There is only one English copy of the agreement in the secret files of the Swedish Government, together with one copy of a Swedish translation.

I am likewise enclosing a Swedish translation furnished by the Foreign Office of the English note.

Sincerely yours,

Herschel V. Johnson

[Enclosure]

The Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (Undén) to the American Minister (Johnson)

Stockholm, September 11, 1945.

Monsieur le Ministre: The proposals that you, together with the British Minister, handed over to me on August 3rd, 1945,⁸² have been subject to a close study by those members of the Swedish Government whom they would most directly concern. After these deliberations, my colleagues and my-self have come to the following conclusions.

We consider it excluded, were it but on constitutional grounds, that the Swedish Government, without the knowledge and assent of the Riksdag, or at any rate of the Utrikesnämnd,⁸³ would enter into an agreement with the United States and United Kingdom Governments along the lines indicated in the proposals. Much the less can single members of the Swedish Government, nor legally nor de facto, restrain Sweden’s liberty of action in such an important question, in the manner proposed.

Political considerations make it equally impossible for the Swedish Government to put an option relating to uranium materials, by means of a secret agreement, in the hands exclusively of two of the great Powers of the world.

My colleagues and my-self highly appreciate, however, the noble motives inspiring the proposals of the two Governments. We are likewise fully aware that it is of an extraordinary importance that these minerals should be exploited under such a control as to prevent misuse. The Swedish Government will, therefore, choose a line of conduct which—even though it does not correspond with the proposals of the two Governments—nevertheless serves the same purpose.

Accordingly, the Swedish Government intend to propose to the Riksdag, at an early date, to adopt legal provisions to the effect, on the one hand, that uranium materials may not be mined or exploited without consent of the Government, and, on the other, that the export of these materials will be prohibited. By passing such a law, the Government and the Riksdag would announce to the world their firm intention to see to it that Swedish uranium resources are not exported to any other country, but are in their entirety reserved for use within Sweden and under the control of the Government. It is the hope of the Swedish Government that the United States and United Kingdom Governments will consider this announcement as a guarantee that the policy thus defined will be sustained, and that the two Governments will find that one of their substantial objects in making the request, will thereby be attained.

The Swedish Government also desire to assure the United States and United Kingdom Governments that should the Swedish Government desire, or find it necessary, for any reason, to change the policy set out in this note, the Swedish Government will give to the United States and United Kingdom Governments the first opportunity to discuss the results of such a change of policy and to arrive at mutually satisfactory arrangements.

Please accept [etc.]

Östen Undén

82. See memorandum by the Minister in Sweden, August 10, p. 37.
83. Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riksdag.