611.60d31/134
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
During the call of the Minister of Finland, I said a few words to him about the pending trade agreement between our two governments, to the effect that our government is going as far as it can possibly go with political safety; that otherwise there would be no delay or hesitation as to broader and more permanent steps; that this Government contemplates carrying forward its pending trade agreement program and, if at all possible, prevailing upon other countries to lend a similar program their support, until the normal volume of international trade has been restored; and that it is most desirable to have Finland with us in this fight.
The Minister indicated his entire agreement with these views, which he said he had not before fully grasped. He stated that if he did not hear from his Government by tomorrow morning, he would send a telegram giving these views and earnestly urging agreement on the remaining trade agreement provisions.