760d.61/220: Telegram

The Minister in Finland (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State

218. Minister for Foreign Affairs has just informed me that last night Soviet Foreign Commissar22 asked Finnish Minister at Moscow to let Finnish Government know that the Soviet Government would be glad to have an exchange of views on political matters of mutual interest and that it would welcome the visit in Moscow either of the Finnish Foreign Minister or of another qualified special representative. No indication was given of the political issues to be discussed.

Minister for Foreign Affairs told me that in view of courteous form of Soviet suggestion Finnish Government would send to Moscow probably on October 9 next, Finnish Minister at Stockholm23 who was chairman of Finnish delegation during peace negotiations at Dorpat in 1920,24 and is thoroughly familiar with political relations between the Soviet Union and Finland. Minister of Foreign Affairs said he had previously made it clear to Soviet Government that if they were interested in matters relating to certain islands in eastern part of Gulf of Finland, satisfactory arrangement could be reached against proper compensation. He told me, however, that there could be no question of any arrangement involving stationing of Soviet military forces in Finnish territory. He concluded by stating that the special courtesy of manner used by Molotov in making his suggestion to Finnish Minister at Moscow renders it probable from knowledge of Russian methods that the Soviet authorities have matters of moment on their minds.

Repeated to Moscow.

Schoenfeld
  1. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov.
  2. Juno K. Paasikivi.
  3. Treaty of Peace between Finland and the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic was signed at Dorpat (Tartu, Yuryev) October 14, 1920; for text, see League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. iii, p. 6. See also Foreign Relations, 1920, vol. ii, pp. 253 ff.