Swedish Premier Gives Foreign Policy Speech

[Globalization41]

Stockholm, Sweden, By Telephone to The
New York Times, Thursday, May 1, 1941:
Almost a million Swedes throughout the country
took part today in a demonstration of "national
solidarity" under the motto of "freedom above
everything, for him who is worthy of it." ... The
speeches of State Ministers and of Premier Per
Albin Hansson, especially, emphasized that the
Swedish Government was more than ever
determined to preserve the freedom,
independence, and neutrality of the country at
any cost and to steer away from any adventures.
... The speeches had greater significance from
the facts that Germany has now conquered two
more small countries [Yugoslavia and Greece]
and that German-Russian relations seem to be
taking an extremely unfavorable turn. No
development to date, perhaps not even last
year's military operations in Norway, would
place Sweden in so dangerous a position as a
Russo-German conflict. ... Speaking in
Stockholm, Premier Hannson forcibly repudiated
any idea of Sweden's joining the Axis powers,
not only in reference to their internal
ideologies, but apparently also with regard to
any possible venture of Berlin in the foreign
field -- and today this can only mean an
eventual German attack against Russia. ...
Outlining the foreign policy of his government,
he asserted that, besides preserving the
independence of Sweden, its aim was to
"prevent us from being drawn into the war
between the great powers." He further
remarked that "we are free from any
entanglement or thought of aggression." ...
"We wish to keep intact our relations of good
and friendly understandings with other peoples
and other countries," he went on. "We know
that we are not able in any essential measure
to influence the decisions shaping the destiny
of Europe." ... When such words are
pronounced by so reliable a statesman as Mr.
Hannson, it does not seem farfetched to
conclude that the Swedish Premier was thus in
advance repudiating the idea of any kind of
Swedish aggression against the only country
that Sweden conceivable could attack, namely,
the Soviet Union. It does not mean that
Sweden was replying to a suggestion already
made to her on this subject from any other
quarter, but it might well signify an anticipatory
taking of a definite position. ... The Premier
added that "we intend also in the future to
offer our collaboration with other European
peoples," but he emphasized, "on the basis of
free volition and independence."

Berlin, Associated Press, The New York
Times, Thursday, May 1, 1941: Nazi
newspapers today continued without pause to
sound the warning that any American ship that
enters the war zones must expect to be sunk.
... They stressed the German view that if
President Roosevelt sends warships or
merchantmen into these zones it will be a
deliberate courting of danger "with the object
of inviting incidents."

[Stay tuned for late breaking war bulletins.
... Globalization41.]