File No. 860d.48/83
The Minister in Sweden ( Morris) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7.28 p.m.]
1579. Your 487, January 16, 8 p.m. Two Finnish delegates called on British Minister and myself and said that Finnish Government had been conferring with Inter-Allied Supply Committee in London, which Committee was requiring guarantees before its food shipment. Finnish Government accepted control of food distribution but refused to curtail freedom of action for export of wood products. We suggested that Finnish Government should make some counter-proposition as negotiations at present at a standstill, which proposition we would transmit to our Government.
Finnish Government is undoubtedly pro-German, and as Germany is only country that has helped it in its struggle, it is unwilling to bind itself to refuse all exports to Germany in case the latter should desire same. Finns claim starvation imminent, and if we refuse supplies they will address themselves to Germany, and thus be entirely on their side. If Germany unable to supply food they will starve, and blame will be placed on Allies by all Scandinavia, which might have bad effect on our post bellum situation in this part of the world.
It would seem as if Allied Governments must decide, therefore, whether it is worth their while for post bellum political and economic reasons to try and maintain a foothold in Finland, as the latter can apparently neither benefit nor harm us during the war, the compensation she can offer for the food in any event being small.