Office of the Historian

859.01/2–1945: Telegram

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

Stockholm, February 19, 1945—7 p.m.
[Received 7:51 p.m.]

623. From Cumming.25 Department’s 268, February 14.26 I regret that due to time consumed in connection with ATC27 matters I have not been able until today to discuss the Danish question with the Legation. For this reason proposed acknowledgment has not yet been delivered to Foss. I entirely agree, unless Department is in possession of fresh information not available to me, Warner has not furnished any reasons sufficiently compelling to warrant change in our view that present is inopportune time to join in a public tripartite statement.

I suggest that unless Soviet comment has already been received our Embassy at Moscow might be urgently instructed to ask Soviet Foreign Office whether it cares to make any comments on our proposed secret acknowledgment to Freedom Council and to say that the United States Government feels that its acknowledgment should be delivered very promptly. Should it appear to Department and Ambassador Harriman not to be unwise, Moscow Embassy might also intimate (rather than press as suggested by Warner) that Soviet Government might wish to send parallel acknowledgment to Danish Freedom Council leaving question of public tripartite statement open for further consideration at more opportune time.

Johnson
  1. Mr. Cumming was in Stockholm taking part in the negotiations which led to the conclusion of a military air transport agreement between the United States and Sweden on March 12, 1945. For documentation regarding these negotiations, see vol. v, pp. 747 ff.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Air Transport Command.↩