Treaties between Finland and the Soviet Government, March 1, 1918, and between Finland and the German Government, March 7, 1918 File No. 763.72119/1442 The Minister in Sweden (Morris) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] STOCKHOLM, March 8, 1918. 1647. Swedish press reports to-day peace treaty was signed between Germany and Finland including commercial and maritime agreement supplemented by a protocol. Germany guarantees Finland's independence be recognized by all powers. Finland is not to relinquish any part of her territory or grant any servitude to any foreign power without first reaching agreement with Germany. Sections in Russo-German peace treaty concerning Finland to be replaced by others more in accordance with altered conditions. German war prisoners in Finland and Finnish war prisoners in Germany will be exchanged soon as possible. Regarding Åland question, it is resolved fortifications in islands shall be removed at earliest possible time. A special agreement will provide that islands are to remain unfortified in future. MORRIS File No. 763.72119/1895 The Chargé in Sweden (Whitehouse) to the Secretary of State No. 1292 STOCKHOLM, August 10, 1918. [Received September 11.] SIR: I have the honor to call your attention to the following articles in the Finnish-German treaties, dated March 7 last: The actual peace treaty contains, on the whole, merely the usual regulations as to the resumption of commercial intercourse, the exchange of prisoners of war, mutual obligations of compensation, etc. Articles 1 and 30 are the only two of any far-reaching significance. By Article 1, clause 2, Germany guarantees that Finland's independence shall be recognized by all other powers, while Finland on her part must pledge herself not to cede any part of her territory to any foreign power or grant to any such power any suzerainty over her own sovereign power without having previously obtained Germany's consent. Article 30 treats of the Åland Islands, the fortresses on which are to be done away with. Concerning the future of the islands from a military and technical shipping point of view, an agreement will be made between Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Germany, and, if the latter desires it, other Baltic states also. The Åland treaty of March 30, 1856, will be adopted as the basis for negotiations. These regulations in the Finnish-German treaty have their counterpart in Article 6, clause 4, of the German-Russian treaty. In connection with the Finnish-German commercial and shipping treaty concluded at the same time the following points will be of a certain interest: It is laid down in Article 2 that the subjects of both the high contracting powers should conjointly enjoy the same privileges as to trade as the citizens in each respective country. As far as Germany is concerned this is a great step in advance, since formerly Germans in Finland only had the same rights as were accorded to subjects of most-favored nations. In addition, by a note of the Finnish delegates, dated March 7, 1918, to the German Imperial Chancellor, it was stated that According to Article 2 of the commercial and shipping agreement between Finland and the German Empire of to-day's date the subjects of the one country in the domain of the other country shall, in respect of trade and industry, be on an equal footing with the inhabitants. The Finnish government presumes that the above decision will not cause any change in the rules that obtain in Finland, which, in respect of certain companies, make it a condition that Finnish state authorities should be among the members of the committee. Nevertheless, the Finnish government will, with all possible speed, propose to the Finnish Landtdag a law rendering it possible to place the subjects of the German Empire on an equal footing with the inhabitants of Finland in that respect also, and will make every effort to pass and enforce the law. Article 6 of the commercial treaty shows that Finland, although looked upon as a favored nation in Germany, has not the right to claim the same advantages which the latter can bestow on AustriaHungary or any other direct or indirect neighboring country that has a customs league with Germany. At the same time Finland is bound, apart from frontier traffic within an area of 15 kilometers, not to grant any special advantages to Russia, but rather to establish a customs boundary respecting that country. The Finns have reserved the coastal traffic between home ports to vessels flying the Finnish flag and the only concession Germany was able to obtain was in Article 12 which states that the advantages in this regard, which Finland eventually may grant to any third power, will also be awarded to Germany. I have [etc.] SHELDON WHITEHOUSE File No. 760d.62/ The Chargé in Sweden (Whitehouse) to the Secretary of State No. 1492 STOCKHOLM, November 18, 1918. [Received December 14.] SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith to the Department, for its information, copies with translations of a secret agreement between Finland and Germany, dated March 7, 1918. I have [etc.] SHELDON WHITEHOUSE [Enclosure 1-Translation] The German Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Von Stumm) to the Finnish Plenipotentiaries (Hjelt and Erich) A. A. Fr. 11.677 In order to prevent Germany from suffering through the reestablishment of internal order in Finland, brought about by German help, and the powers engaged in war against the former from deriving benefit therefrom, the Imperial German Government must lay stress on the fulfilment of the following wishes: 1. Finland is not to allow the powers engaged in war with Germany to take possession of Finnish railways or to establish themselves in Finnish harbors or coastal positions. 2. The Finnish government shall intern the naval forces of the powers engaged in war with Germany and her allies which may be or may arrive in Finnish waters. 3. The Finnish government declares itself willing to help the German naval forces by its pilotage system and the channel markings in Finnish waters. 4. Finland admits Germany's right to establish bases anywhere on Finnish territory for the German naval forces during the period of military support. 5. The Finnish government is to prohibit the export and transfer to foreigners of Finnish merchant ships, shares in the same, and also the alienation of shares in shipping concerns until the restoration of general peace. The Finnish government shall during the designated period place the chartering of Finnish merchant ships under its control and only permit it in strictly Finnish interests. No exceptions are to be made regarding merchant vessels at present in the Baltic Sea. 6. The Finnish government shall allow the Finnish merchant vessels at present in the Baltic Set to navigate only this sea during the period mentioned in Paragraph 5. It furthermore declares its willingness to have enforced the restriction regarding this navigation which is necessitated by the German sea-warfare and which is to be agreed upon between it and the German Admiralty. 7. The Finnish government shall prohibit, during the period of military support, the granting of shore leave to the crews of foreign vessels lying in Finnish waters, unless they are Finnish subjects. 8. The Finnish government agrees to the establishment of a German control office at Torneå during the period of military support for the observation of enemy espionage. Regarding the execution, reservation is made of the agreement between the two governments. 9. The Finnish government will see to it that the present supplies of the country as well as the further production of exportable goods will be utilized as far as possible for the benefit of Germany and her allies during the period mentioned in Paragraph 5. These supplies and products shall be used especially as payment for the war material delivered by Germany. The Finnish government shall accordingly during the time mentioned issue and maintain export prohibitions, especially for rough and finished wood, wooden ships, cellulose, cardboard, paper, skins and hides, wool, flax, and other textile materials, tin, nickel, copper and copper alloys and other scarce metals as well as waste therefrom; also mineral oils, caoutchouc, and old rubber. Exceptions to these prohibitions may be made only with the consent of the German Government. The German Government shall not refuse to make exceptions for wood, wooden ships, cellulose, cardboard, and paper in so far as export of these articles to the Scandinavian countries is concerned and the question of payment for war materials delivered is not involved. On the other hand the German Government's requests for permission of exportation to Germany or to her allies shall be granted to the greatest possible extent, in so far as consideration for Finland's own requirements does not stand in the way. While the undersigned awaits a favorable answer as to the Finnish government's readiness to agree to the above-mentioned wishes, he also avails himself [etc.] STUMM [Enclosure 2-Translation] The Finnish Plenipotentiaries (Hjelt and Erich) to the German Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Von Stumm) BERLIN, March 7, 1918. The undersigned have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the note of to-day, Foreign Office Fr. II 677, from the Honorable the Undersecretary of State in A[uswärtigen] A[mt] Mr. Von Stumm, and to declare that the Finnish government in every respect agrees to the Imperial German Government's wishes as laid forth in Paragraphs 1 to 9, and necessary steps will immediately be taken for executing the same. The undersigned avail themselves [etc.] DR. HJELT DR. ERICH [Enclosure 3-Translation] The Acting Chief of the Admiralty Staff of the German Navy (Von Below) to the German Naval Attaché at Stockholm 26532 The enclosed treaty for your information. BERLIN, September 10, 1918. Your attention is specially drawn to the fact that this secret treaty must not under any circumstances be made public. The visa on the declaration of acknowledgment is to be given only when the agreement regarding export with the naval representative at Helsingfors, K[orvetten] Kapitän Reuter, is at hand. VON BELOW File No. 763.72119/3168 The Chargé in Russia (Poole) to the Secretary of State No. 1258 SIR: I have the honor to refer to a telegraphic instruction which the Department addressed to me in care of the American Legation at Stockholm on the subject of the texts of the Brest Litovsk and certain other treaties, and which was repeated by the Legation to me at Archangel. Under date of November 14 I telegraphed the Legation at Stockholm as follows: I believe that the complete texts of the Brest Litovsk treaties were sent to the Department by pouch from Moscow. Please ask Vice Consul Nielsen about this. The Finnish treaty is being sent from here. I do not recall having seen the Rumanian treaty. The German official publications, which should be obtainable through Copenhagen, are the most authoritative sources for the Brest Litovsk treaties, the Russian texts being but bad translations from the German. The supplementary treaties were published in the Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung about September 6. It is presumed that the Legation at Stockholm communicated the substance of the foregoing to the Department. I now have the honor to forward a translation of the treaty of March 1/February 16, 1918, between the socialist republics of Russia and Finland. This translation has been prepared from a pamphlet, also enclosed, found in the files of the Embassy. There is nothing to indicate its authority. I have [etc.] DEW. C. POOLE, JR. [Enclosure Translation] TREATY BETWEEN THE SOCIALIST REPUBLICS OF RUSSIA AND FINLAND1 The Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic and the Council of People's Delegates of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, in order to strengthen the friendship and fraternity between the abovementioned free republics, have concluded the following treaty. ARTICLE 1 The Russian Federative Soviet Republic transfers to the independent Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic all real estate belonging to the Russian Republic or to Russian state establishments, whether by right of ownership or by right of use, that is: lands, stretches of water, urban districts, buildings, mills, factories, telegraph establishments, railroads, fortresses, lighthouses, beacons and buoys, situated within the limits of the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Finland. ARTICLE 2 The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, on its part, transfers to the Russian Federative Soviet Republic all real estate belonging to the Finnish treasury or the state establishments of Finland whether by right of ownership or of use, that is: lands, stretches of water, urban districts, buildings, mills, factories, telegraph establishments, railroads, fortresses, lighthouses, beacons and buoys, situated within the limits of the territory of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic. 'The translation has been left substantially in the form in which it was received. Verbal corrections have been made upon comparison with the Russian text above described. |