860D.01/6–2944: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Finland (Gullion)
133. President has directed severance of diplomatic relations with Finland. Formal notice will be communicated to Finnish Chargé here at 11 o’clock, Eastern War Time, morning of Friday, June 30. Acknowledge receipt of this telegram immediately. Burn all codes and confidential papers and destroy seals, etc. Then arrange to be [Page 607] received by highest Foreign Office official available at a time approximating proposed hour of notification to Finnish Chargé here. Say to Foreign Office official that United States has broken relations with Finland and that Swiss Government will represent American interests and the foreign interests now under your protection. You may say that further relations between the Government of the United States and the Government of Finland have become impossible as a result of the hard and fast military partnership with Nazi Germany which the Finnish Government has now formally admitted to the world.
You should ask that facilities be granted for you and the American members of your staff and their families to leave Finland for Sweden as soon as possible. We will arrange for return to Finland of Finnish Legation personnel and families here.
We believe that your standing instructions cover all eventualities but after break you might request Swiss Minister45 to transmit messages for you through Swiss and American Legations in Stockholm.
Department highly commends you and all members of your staff for your faithful and efficient services during the past trying months.
Sent to Helsinki, repeated to Stockholm for secret information of Minister only.
- Karl Egger.↩