740.0011 E.W./4–1645

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State

Participants: The President
The Secretary of State
The Right Honorable Anthony Eden
The Earl of Halifax

In a conversation at the White House starting at 10 o’clock this morning, Mr. Eden said that there was a Swedish matter that he wanted to mention to the President. This related to the ten German divisions in Norway. He said that present indications point to the fact that the Germans are going to keep these ten divisions in Norway indefinitely and to obviate the necessity of sending an Allied Expeditionary Force into Norway, he raised the question of our two governments endeavoring to get Sweden to declare war and “clean up Norway.” The President had a favorable reaction. Mr. Eden said that with the President’s permission, he would pursue this matter further with me. I stated that I wanted to discuss the whole matter with Mr. Eden and then talk to Admiral Leahy95 about it and we could bring a specific recommendation to the President.

Upon my return to the Department I sent for Mr. Hickerson, Acting Director of the Office of European Affairs and asked him to get in touch with Mr. Eden and his party about this matter. He did this at once and it has been agreed that the British representatives on the Combined Chiefs of Staff will take up this matter at the next meeting of the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

E[dward] S[tettinius]
  1. Adm. William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the United States Army and Navy.