760d.61/551: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 30—11:57 p.m.]
978. The first announcement by the Soviet authorities of the opening of hostilities with Finland was made at 12:45 this morning, when a Tass despatch from Leningrad was broadcast over the Moscow radio stations stating that at 2 a.m. on November 30 Finnish forces invaded the Soviet Union on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, but were repulsed. At 3:15 a.m. Finnish infantry attempted to invade Soviet territory on the Karelian Isthmus but were repulsed with machine gun fire, after the Soviet forces had taken prisoner 10 soldiers and 1 noncommissioned officer. Another attack was launched by the Finns at 4 a.m. on the Karelian Isthmus and this too was repulsed.
In view of these events orders were given to the military forces of the Leningrad district to advance into Finland and at 8 a.m. (almost 5 hours previous to my interview with Potemkin at which he professed to have no knowledge of any new developments since the breaking of relations with Finland) the Soviet forces crossed the Finnish frontier on the Karelian Isthmus and “in several other regions.” They penetrated from 10 to 15 kilometers into Finnish territory during the day, occupying Metsapirtti and Kuokkala (both small places near the frontier) and advancing toward Terijoki. Moreover, the airdromes at Helsinki and Viborg were bombed.
The foregoing was followed by the reading of a Tass despatch from London stating that President Kallio of Finland had declared that a state of war exists.