857D.20/11–1848: Telegram
The Ambassador in Sweden (Matthews) to the Secretary of State
1293. Inter-Scandinavian Defense Committee conversations at Stockholm concluded yesterday. Next meeting in Copenhagen in mid-December. Gunneng of the Norwegian Foreign Office, who has been acting as Secretary of the Norwegian Delegation, today gave us following impressions (Swedes as usual will be very reticent on this):
Although at least the formal phases of discussions were kept within the framework of the original terms of reference (Embtel 1042, September 11) that is to say exploration of the feasibility of an Inter-Scandinavian Defense Pact without prejudice to the Swedish position of strict neutrality or the Dano-Norwegian wish to keep a door [Page 278] open to the west the “real thoughts of some of the participants” at times came to the surface. In this connection Colonel Hassel, Norwegian Military Attaché here has indicated separately to American Military Attaché and British Military Attaché that the Norwegians were disappointed over unreality of Swedish views and were pessimistic re possibility of a favorable outcome of the discussions as a whole. In his conversation with us Gunneng did not however go this far, possibly because his talks were limited to formal sessions and Foreign Office.
Gunneng said that in his view, the Stockholm discussions and the preceding Oslo discussions were primarily informative and exploratory but that “definitive results” might be expected one way or another at the forthcoming meeting in Copenhagen. He thought Copenhagen meeting would be followed by a final meeting at Oslo January 9th or 10th.
Gunneng felt that neither the Oslo nor the Stockholm meetings had altered in the slightest degree the views with regard to neutrality and association with the West held by the Swedish and Norwegian Governments, respectively, prior to the inception of the discussions. Norway, he said most emphatically, will not enter any arrangement which closes the door to Norwegian association in a North Atlantic pact.
Gunneng expressed great interest in knowing whether the Swedish Government clearly understood that the terms of the Vandenberg Resolution precluded unilateral support by the US of a Scandinavian Defense Pact. When told that we had made this quite clear informally to Swedish Foreign Office and Swedish military circles he said he thought it was very important that the Swedish Government be officially informed on this point. He said that the Norwegian Government clearly understood the point but that, should it arise in future discussions between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian position would be strengthened if they knew, and the Swedish Government knew that they knew, that we had informed the Swedes of our governments interpretation of the Vandenberg Resolution in this respect. The plain inference to be drawn from Gunneng’s remarks was that the point had already arisen in conversation and that the Swedes had maintained a contrary view.
Gunneng indicated he would probably have a more detailed conversation with Mr. Villard in Oslo when he returns tomorrow.
Sent Department 1293, repeated Oslo 53, Copenhagen 61, Paris 372.