740.00112 European War 1939/8318: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
Bern, April 29,
1943—9 p.m.
[Received 9:23 p.m.]
[Received 9:23 p.m.]
2645. Reference your 978, April 27, 1 p.m.
- 1.
- Yesterday evening my British colleague showed me a telegram he had received from his Government advising him that the Swiss Minister in London had requested an interview with the Foreign Secretary,17 that he should suspend action on the note pending further instructions and request me to do likewise.
- 2.
- If the proposal to impose sanctions is intended to demonstrate to the Swiss our displeasure caused by their decision to comply with the German proposal that both parties liquidate the 1941 agreement which will probably result in a near term rise in undesirable exports such action will undoubtedly have the desired result. On the other hand it would not in my opinion serve to strengthen but would rather weaken the hands of the Swiss in negotiating a new trade agreement. It was for this reason that I recommended in the last paragraph of my 2255 [2525]18 that we preferably confine ourselves to a strong warning of what the Swiss might expect in certain eventualities and refrain from implying sanctions at this juncture.
- 3.
- As now worded the note appears to anticipate that the current negotiations in Berlin will result in an increase of undesirable exports from Switzerland to Germany. This assumption may not be warranted in the light of assurances which I have received regarding the instructions which were given by the Federal Council to the Swiss delegates and appear to approximate the desiderata of our negotiators in London. As these negotiations according to our information relate solely to the negotiation of a new trade agreement to take the place of the 1941 agreement I beg to suggest the desirability of omitting in the proposed note to the Swiss Government the emphasis on the outcome of these negotiations and rather to express our concern over the situation which the Swiss have permitted to arise by their concurrence in the liquidation of the 1941 agreement.
Harrison