740.00/1157: Telegram
The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 25—1:25 p.m.]
62. Your telegram No. 29 and my No. 59.39 In response to my inquiry today Minister of Foreign Affairs told me that Finnish Government looked upon the President’s message as important contribution to peace in that the head of a powerful nation should at this time hold out an offer of negotiation for settlement of pending differences. He said that he had reports from Stockholm and Copenhagen that this was also the view of the Governments there but he had no report from Oslo. He added that according to information Hitler’s forthcoming speech in response to the President’s message would be “very strong” but would not close the door to further discussion since it was becoming more evident that British patience was coming rapidly to an end and that public opinion in Britain might force the Government to drastic action which he did not define.
I did not bring up the suggestion that Finnish Government might issue a public statement along the lines of your telegram No. 29 and elicited the foregoing by what I said was a personal inquiry.
- Latter not printed.↩