859.85/606

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)

The Danish Minister31 came in to see me, at his request.

His purpose was merely to say that he was leaving town for a week, commencing Saturday,32 and had dropped in to exchange views.

He said he had received an instruction from Copenhagen renewing the insistence that Danish ships and captains should not sail; further, asking him to notify the American Government, and likewise the Philippine Government, that no one outside of Denmark was authorized to charter or otherwise dispose of the Danish ships.

The Minister considered that this was strictly a German order, forced upon the Danish Government. He was not transmitting it officially, but merely telling me about it. He added that no good purpose could be served by saying nothing, since the Danish Government undoubtedly could hand an exactly similar notification to Perkins33 in Copenhagen. He added that the German pressure on Denmark was obviously growing, and that camouflage of an independent Danish Government was wearing somewhat thin.

He further said that he was not clear how far Admiral Land34 was getting in his attempts to charter the Danish ships. He himself would be willing to give his benediction to the transaction and to take the consequences, which might be grave personally, provided he could feel sure that the arrangement made was a practicable one. So far he was not clear that that was true, since the British were still declining to recognize the transaction in any way.

I was noncommittal on this subject.

  1. Henrik de Kauffmann.
  2. February 22.
  3. Mahlon F. Perkins, American Chargé in Denmark.
  4. Rear Adm. Emory S. Land, Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission.