501.AA/7–2046

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Northern European Affairs (Cumming)

confidential

Mr. Aminoff, the Counselor of the Swedish Legation, telephoned me this morning. He said that day before yesterday the Soviet Minister in Stockholm had delivered to the Acting Swedish Foreign Minister a memorandum setting forth the Soviet reply to Sweden’s inquiry as to the attitude of the Soviet Union towards a Swedish application for admission to the United Nations.

The Soviet memorandum in translation reads as follows:

“The Soviet Government takes a positive attitude towards Swedish admittance to UNO. At the same time the Soviet Government considers it necessary to point out that its representatives can not during consideration of the matter in the UNO refrain from taking into account the attitude of other countries concerning admittance to UNO, also of countries who have already expressed such desires.”

Mr. Aminoff said that since the Soviet reply was obviously somewhat cryptic, the Acting Swedish Foreign Minister had asked the Soviet Minister for clarification. The Soviet Minister had replied that he could add nothing to the text of the memorandum which he had just delivered.

Mr. Aminoff said that he would appreciate our transmitting foregoing information in confidence to Mr. Herschel V. Johnson.