857.9243/11–2345: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Norway (Osborne)
490. Your 678, Nov. 20. Recent replacement of Naval personnel on Jan Mayen Island was merely routine operation customarily followed by Navy Dept with respect to all isolated and inhospitable stations. This action should not be interpreted as indicating that we desire to maintain forces there indefinitely. The question of eventual transfer of the station to UNO control has never even been contemplated by us.
[Page 104]For your confidential info, Lie’s desire that our forces be withdrawn from Jan Mayen Island and the installations transferred to Norway is being submitted to the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee with the recommendation that steps be taken to comply with his wish.
As original agreement concerning Jan Mayen Island was made by the Embassy near the Norwegian Government at London in the fall of 1943, Dept suggests that further search be made of Embassy’s files referring in this connection to your despatch no. 14 dated Jan 31, 194566 and the correspondence mentioned therein.
- Not printed; it listed the correspondence between the Department and the American Embassy near the Norwegian Government in Exile in connection with the exchange of notes of November 1, 1943, and January 7, 1944 (not printed), concerning the installation and operation of a high frequency direction finder station of the U.S. Navy on Jan Mayen Island (857.9243/1–3145).↩