Office of the Historian

560.AL/12–2045: Telegram

The Ambassador in Norway (Osborne) to the Secretary of State

Oslo, December 20, 1945—6 p.m.
[Received December 21—10:51 p.m.]

808. Reurcirtel November 2.25 Prebensen26 in absence of Lie27 urged me to do anything possible to have Norway included among countries invited to send representatives to meeting of the Preparatory Conference on Trade and Employment. Request is based on following grounds:

1.
No northern European country is on the list of those invited.
2.
Norway has special interest in international trade because of large merchant marine and her especially great dependence on imports.
3.
Norway has special interest in and has always loyally supported all efforts for international cooperation.
4.
Norway is or at least hopes to be more important in US overseas trade than some of the countries included.

Prebensen said Morgenstierne has already taken this matter up with Dept.

Most serious result of Norway’s exclusion will be injured feelings, which I should, of course, be glad to have avoided. Also it is Embassy’s opinion that Norway would generally support our views at conference.

Osborne
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Per Preben Prebensen, Norwegian Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs.↩
  3. Trygve Halvdan Lie, Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩