219. Letter From the Under Secretary of State (Dillon) to the Ambassador to Finland (Sessions)0
Dear Ed: Thank you for your letter of February 2 with its interesting enclosure of your “Suggested Plan for Finland”.1 This will be most helpful to our studies here, and I appreciate the rapidity with which you turned it out.
I was also interested in your other comments. With reference to the possible desirability of recasting the USIS program and operations, my [Page 569] suggestion would be that you write directly to George Allen on this matter, and send me a copy so that I can follow it up here. Your thought of having a survey made seems to me a good one.
On the question of travel around the country by yourself and your staff, I wholeheartedly support your ideas and certainly in your place I would encourage your officers to do so within the limits of the budget for local travel. Unhappily, I can not realistically foresee much relief from the limitations which the Congress puts on us for this classification of expenditures.
I am sure that Loy Henderson and Hughes will study carefully your report on the Chancery building program and will want to take into account your ideas as communicated to them.
At this time we are, of course, particularly interested in having a clear and accurate understanding of Finnish industry and the orientation of its trade. I count on you to bring the figures up to date or to correct any misapprehensions such as the one you refer to in the OCB paper. In this connection, I think your February 2 despatch will be extremely valuable in the preparation of the new OCB paper.
Reverting to your very first comment, it seems to me true that the Soviets have made gains on the political and economic fronts in Finland in the recent past. We have not liked it and in the Department over that period we have endeavored, as we are still trying, to arrest and reverse such an unfavorable trend. It is, of course, true that from time to time in the past few years suggestions which originated with the Embassy for action were turned down here in Washington for reasons such as availability of funds or general policy with which no one Embassy can be expected to be fully up to date at all times. Nevertheless, please do not hesitate to pass on any specific action suggestions you may have. You can rest assured that we will do our best to back you up in their implementation.
Please write me in future as the spirit moves. Meanwhile, my thanks again for your stimulating letter.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.60E/2–260. Secret; Personal. Drafted by Merchant and Dillon.↩
- Documents 215 and 216.↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.↩