ARTICLE 3 The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic agrees also to the acquisition of the other property not mentioned in Article 1 of the present treaty, belonging to the Russian Federative Soviet Republic and situated within the limits of the former Grand Duchy of Finland, and has a preferential right in acquiring such property, in so far as it does not infringe upon the interests of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic. ARTICLE 4 From the above-mentioned properties subject to transfer to the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic are excluded those which, by decision of the Russian-Finnish Conciliation Commission, are transferred directly to workers' organizations. ARTICLE 5 In the interest of cooperation in the nationalization of the Finnish merchant marine the Russian Federative Soviet Republic transfers to the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic in their present condition all the ships belonging to the Finnish treasury, companies or private persons, requisitioned by the Russian Government before or during the war. All other requisitioned property will be turned over in a like degree in so far as it lies within the territorial limits of the Grand Duchy of Finland at the moment of the conclusion of this treaty. ARTICLE 6 The effect of the preceding paragraphs does not extend to real properties which are necessary for the Russian Federative Soviet Republic on the territory of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, and conversely those which are necessary for the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic on the territory of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic, for establishments and persons of the diplomatic, consular, or commercial services, as well as for educational and medical institutions. ARTICLE 7 The scale of compensation for the properties transferred in accordance with Articles 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the present treaty is to be fixed by the special RussianFinnish Conciliation Commission. A special account is to be carried for the payments imputed to these transfers, to be effected upon demand of the Russian Liquidation Commission for Finnish Affairs, and to be concluded at the time of the final accounting. ARTICLE 8 The amounts owed by the Finnish state establishments and the Finnish treasury to the Russian state establishments and the Russian treasury and vice versa, as likewise the short-term obligations of Russia concluded through the medium of the Finnish Bank, are acknowledged as being in force by the governments of both socialist republics, and the means of their amortization, independently of the payments effected in accordance with Article 7, will be worked out by a special mixed financial subcommission, under the control of the Russian-Finnish Conciliation Commission. ARTICLE 9 The contracting parties mutually guarantee at all times to all commercial vessels of the Russian and Finnish socialist republics free, unobstructed access to all sea, river, and lake ports, anchorages, and canals, giving the right to all above-mentioned vessels freely to load or unload their freight, and to make use of pilot service. The technical conditions of enjoyment of the above-mentioned rights will be defined by special arrangements. ARTICLE 10 A direct, constant, and through train service between the railroads of Russia and Finland shall be established. ARTICLE 11 The conditions of use by the Russian Federative Soviet Republic of the telegraphs and roads on the territory of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic and, correspondingly, by the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic on the territory of the Russian Federal Republic, will be settled by special arrangements; among these, by exception from the general application of Article 1, applicable to existing international understandings and agreements, three cables (Nos. 13, 60 and 42) running through the territory of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic and connecting Petrograd with Stockholm, Newcastle, and Frideritsiya, and one direct cable connecting uninterruptedly Petrograd-Vartniemi-Alexandrovsk (Murmanski), running through Viborg, Kuopio, Kemi, and Rovaniemi, will remain the property of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic for fifty years with the right of extraterritoriality; and also the Russian Federative Soviet Republic maintains all the rights obtained by the agreement with the Danish company in three direct cables from Nystad to Sweden via the Åland Islands. ARTICLE 12 Both contracting parties will immediately appoint a subcommission of the Russian-Finnish Conciliation Commission for the drafting of a commercial treaty between the two republics. ARTICLE 13 Russian citizens of Finnish descent in Russia, as likewise Finnish citizens of Russian descent in Finland, shall be accorded the same rights as other citizens of these respective countries. Finnish citizens in Russia, as likewise Russian citizens in Finland, shall enjoy in the same measure as the citizens of these respective countries, all private rights, civil liberties, and general rights. The Russian Federative Soviet Republic allows to Finnish citizens in Russia all the political rights of Russian citizens belonging to the working class or to peasants who do not exploit the labor of others,if they reside on Russian territory for the purpose of laboring occupations. For its part the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic pledges itself to allow to citizens of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic in Finland the easiest possible conditions for the enjoyment of all political rights, especially taking into consideration the interests of the laboring population not always having a constant residence. ARTICLE 14 The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic pledges itself not to hinder and promises to cooperate in the continuation and the most rapid completion of the evacuation, already begun, from the territory of the Finnish Socialist Republic of all the land and naval forces and the establishments of military and naval departments of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic. ARTICLE 15 The Russian Federative Soviet Republic cedes in full ownership to the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic the territory delimited below, provided the consent of the local population is obtained by free consultation. Henceforth the Russian-Finnish state frontier will be the line which runs from Korve Tunturi (on the present Russian-Finnish frontier) by a straight line to the sources of the River Pechenga (Petsamo), from there by the eastern watershed of the River Pechenga (Petsamo) it curves round the Motovski Gulf (Muotko Fjord) and Rybachi Peninsula and by a straight line it comes out on the coast of the Arctic Ocean near Zubov (Supuski). The commission provided for in Article 17 is charged to draw up special provisions guaranteeing: (1) The rights of the Russian population engaged in the fishing and other industries on the alienated territory; (2) The rights of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic to an unhindered commercial transit to and from Norway; and (3) The rights resulting from treaties concluded and in effect between Russia and Norway. The payments resulting from the cession of the above-mentioned territory shall be effected according to the principles set forth in Article 7 of the present treaty. ARTICLE 16 The contracting parties shall establish a subcommission of the RussianFinnish Conciliation Commission, for the purpose of defining exactly the changes in the Russian-Finnish frontier. Nevertheless the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic immediately cedes in full ownership to the Russian Federal Republic the territory of Fort Ino, situated on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, and guarantees the necessary transit to this fort. ARTICLE 17 In the development of the articles of this fundamental treaty, drafts of detailed agreements will be worked out by the Conciliation Commission, established by the governments of both contracting parties, which drafts will be subject to ratification by the governments of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic. ARTICLE 18 Disagreements arising during the preparation of the above-mentioned detailed agreements and during the discussion of the present treaty and of the detailed arrangements included in its development, as likewise any cases of infraction of the provisions of the treaty and the agreements, shall be submitted to the judgment of an arbitration court, the president of which is appointed by the administration of the Swedish Left Social Democratic Party, unless later determined otherwise. ARTICLE 19 The present treaty goes into legal effect from the moment of its signature by the plenipotentiaries of the governments of both socialist republics. ARTICLE 20 The plenipotentiaries of the governments of the Russian Federative Soviet Republic and of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic have signed and affixed their seals to two copies of the treaty in the Russian and Finnish languages. Signed in Petrograd March 1/February 16, 1918. File No. 760d.62/1 The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Sweden (Morris) [Telegram] WASHINGTON, December 21, 1918, 3 p. m. 1392. Your despatch 1492, dated November 18, 1918. Was secret agreement ever accepted by Finland? Also, how long was it to remain in force? POLK File No. 760d.62/1 The Minister in Sweden (Morris) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] STOCKHOLM, December 28, 1918, 5 p. m. [Received December 30, 11.34 a. m.] Department's 1392, undated [December 21, 3 p. m.] referring to Legation's despatch 1492, November 18. The German-Finnish agreement was to remain in force until the conclusion of a general peace. It was accepted by delegates of Finland with full powers on October [March?] 7, 1918, but many of the provisions were never fully put in force on account of the changing fortunes of war. MORRIS German Military Intervention against the Red Guards; Victory of the White Guards-Advances into Karelia and toward the Murman RailwayNew Negotiations with the Soviet Government-British, French, and American Attitude toward the White Government and Representatives of the Former Red Government-Resignation of Mannerheim-Monarchist Movement: Election of Frederick Carl of Hesse, October 9, 1918 File No. 860d.00/42 The Ambassador in Great Britain (Page) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] LONDON, March 8, 1918, 11 p. m. 1 8966. Your 6559, February 13, 6 p. m.1 Naval Attaché informed by British authorities that shipments of grain from America to north Finland have been stopped in view of the recent changes in the political situation there, which would make it probable that these supplies would fall into enemy hands. Please advise what policy has been adopted. British information is to effect that Germans have penetrated into northern Finland. 'Not printed. PAGE File No. 860d.00/43 The Minister in Sweden (Morris) to the Secretary of State [Telegram] STOCKHOLM, March 9, 1918. 1656. Swedish press reports Finnish government at Vasa has issued proclamation containing following: German landing Åland is made with assent of Finnish government as is transference their operations to Finnish mainland. Commander in chief of troops of Finnish republic has informed Finnish government that after being provided with arms we would have been able with our own resources to bring struggle to successful end but the numerous brutalities committed in southern Finland, lack of food among population, and daily arrival of large hosts of Bolsheviks, have induced government for welfare of the country to accept the hand of a powerful friend. Peace terms signed between Germany and Russia include a provision as to removal of Russian troops and Bolsheviks from Finland and it is evacuation of these that Germany wants to supervise, backed by troops now arriving in Finland. Germany does not permit Russian soldiers garbed like civilians to fight in Finland, thus insidiously circumventing Russo-German peace treaty. MORRIS File No. 860d.00/60 The Consul at Helsingfors (Haynes) to the Secretary of State 1 [Telegram] HELSINGFORS, March 11, 1918, 4 p. m. 1 Fifteen Americans from Petrograd including Government officers' wives and business men are now refugees in Helsingfors because of increasing civil war activity. Red and White Guards refuse passage through lines. Stockholm Legation wires Swedish authorities refuse to send boat to Finland because of ice. According to arrangement with White Guards, Germans are landing at Hangö to take Helsingfors and drive Reds from Finland in order to restore order. German airplanes over Helsingfors. Consulate expenses considerably increased. Have bureau accounts protect possible drafts. HAYNES 1 1Sent via the Legation in Sweden (No. 1673). |