Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume IV

860D.00/1–2845: Telegram

The Secretary of Mission in Finland (Higgs) to the Secretary of State

Helsinki, January 28, 1945—11 p.m.
[Received January 29—11:10 a.m.]

23. Former Foreign Minister Erkko came to see me yesterday afternoon. He said he was greatly worried over the present situation with respect to candidacy for election by war politicians. I told him I had read with interest the editorial in his paper Helsingin-Sanomat of that morning taking a position against the candidates [candidacy] of these politicians. He said he felt it to be his duty to do even though it was unpopular at least at present in Finland.

Erkko said he would tell me frankly that he had had a talk that morning with Paasikivi at latter’s request. The Prime Minister had inquired if Erkko had any confidential contacts with this or British political mission and on getting an affirmative reply had asked Erkko to approach us with a view to have us exert our influence to effect the withdrawal of the war politicians from the election campaign. The Prime Minister was seeing the President⁹ at 4:00 that afternoon to try to obtain latter’s consent and support to the Government’s exerting all its influence and legal powers to block participation of the war politicians in the elections. Erkko said the Prime Minister was looking upon the matter “realistically” but that the President still adhered to the “legalistic” viewpoint. He, Paasikivi, apparently was not too optimistic as to the outcome of his approach to Mannerheim hence his feelers to United States through Erkko.

Answering my inquiry Erkko said he thought it impossible to defeat the war politicians if in fact they did seek election and hence I was essential to block their candidacy. Erkko informed me in confidence that the Svenska Dagbladet article mentioned in my 18, January 26, 10 p.m.¹⁰ to Department, 9 to Stockholm, had in fact been directed by the Prime Minister as a move to that end.

I asked Erkko what action he and the Prime Minister had in mind for us to take. He replied that the Soviet position had been made fairly clear to the Government but not to the Finnish public, that the Swedish position was becoming clearer but as usual tended to be discounted by the Finnish public. All in all, however, the issue had not yet been so clarified to the Finns that the war politicians would be candidates and reelected.

He said our and British influence especially now with the Finnish public was such that if we should make clear what interpretation would be placed in the western countries on their election of politicians who had followed the pro-German and anti-danc [sic] United Nations line during past few years he feels confident the names of these candidates would be withdrawn from the election lists and thereby the present tension with the ACC¹¹ dissipated. Erkko said former Prime Minister Linkomies’ name was being withdrawn from coalition party list not because he was a compromised war politician but more surprisingly because his party deemed his present stand against the USSR too weak. Incidentally the press this morning reports Procopé¹² as a coalition party candidate.

Sent to Department as my 23, January 28, 11 p.m., repeat to Moscow as my 12.

Higgs

9. Field Marshal Carl Gustav, Baron Mannerheim.
10. Not printed, but see supra.
11. Allied Control Commission.
12. Hjalmar J. Procopé, former Finnish Minister in the United States, expelled in 1944. See telegram 117, June 16, 1944, 4 p.m., to Helsinki, Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. iii, p. 600.