Sweden -- Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State (RG 84) [CIVILIAN AGENCY RECORDS -- Department of State and Foreign Affairs Records]

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View a note on State Department records classification
Sweden was able to survive during the war as a non-belligerent state by following a flexible policy towards to the Axis and the Allies. In September 1939 Sweden warned the Allies and the Axis that if either invaded their country they would destroy every factory, mine, and train in Sweden--meaning there would be no more steel or ball bearings for sale. In 1940, Sweden agree to allow German military to operate on Swedish territory. Sweden would also allow agents on both sides to function undisturbed. The 1940 transit agreement with Germany was terminated in August 1943, after strong American and British pressure. During the remainder of the war Sweden continued to pursue a policy which was generally accommodating to the Allies and unhelpful towards Germany. {Note 1}

The American Government in late 1944 and early 1945, as part of the Safehaven Program, attempted to have Swedes adhere to the Bretton Woods Resolution VI and to refrain from dealings with Germany. In November 1944, Sweden adopted new exchange regulations which had the effect of blocking capital transfers. Sweden also promised to conduct a census of German assets, but offer no guarantee that the findings would be made available to the Allies. However the Swedish Government did not agree to accept Bretton Woods Resolution VI, and rejected all but two of the specific Safehaven requests made by the Allies. {Note 2}

Records of the U.S. Embassy, Stockholm Sweden

General Records 1936-1952 (Entry 3195)

        Boxes 1-138 location: 350/68/9/01
1940
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
41  711.1  Neutrality
                        711.2  Neutral Commerce
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/9/06
43  848  Relief, Refugees
            850  Commercial Activities location: 350/68/9/07
44  851  Financial Conditions, Blocked Assets, etc.
            851.51  Exchange
            851.6  Banks, Banking
            858.8  Blocked Funds
            854  Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights location: 350/68/9/07
1941
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
51  600  Trade Statistics
            631  Trade Relations-Sweden-Denmark
            631  Trade Relations-Sweden-Finland
            631  Trade Relations-Sweden-Germany
            631  Trade Relations-Sweden-Great Britain
            631  Trade Relations-Netherlands, Belgium
            631  Trade Relations-United States location: 350/68/10/01
53  710  Political Relations-American-Finnish Relations
            710  Political Relations-American-Danish Relations
            710  Political Relations-British-Finnish Relations
            710  Political Relations-Finnish-German Relations
            710  Political Relations-German-Portuguese Relations
            710  Political Relations-Swedish-British Relations
            710  Political Relations-Swedish-Finnish Relations
            710  Political Relations-Swedish-German Relations
            711  European War
            711  Swedish Economic Life-Memo of Conversation among  Adolf A. Bearle, Jr., and W. Bostrom, Swedish  Minister and Marcus Wallenberg, Jr., Vice President  of the Stockholm Enskilda Bank, December 12,  1940
            711  Interview of Marcus Wallenberg, Jr., in Swedish press, on  February 6, 1941; reported February 14, 1941
location: 350/68/10/01
54  711.1  Neutrality, Neutrals
            711.2  Neutral Commerce
            711.2  Axis Ships, Seizure of, By the United States
            711.2  Swedish-British Trade
            711.2  Swedish-Finnish Trade
            711.2  Swedish-German Trade
            711.2  Swedish-Norwegian Trade
            711.2  Swedish-Soviet Trade
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/10/01
56  848  Relief, Refugees
            850  Economic Matters location: 350/68/10/02
57  850.6  Insurance
            851  Financial Conditions location: 350/68/10/02
58  851.6  Banks, Banking
            858.8  Blocked Assets location: 350/68/10/02
1942
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
69  350  Property Rights
            600  Trade Statistics location: 350/68/10/03
70  631  Trade Agreements-Bohemia-Moravia
            631  Trade Agreements-Brazil
            631  Trade Agreements-Danish
            631  Trade Agreements-Finnish
            631  Trade Agreements-Free World Trade
            631  Trade Agreements-German
            631  Trade Agreements-Hungarian
            631  Trade Agreements-Italian
            631  Trade Agreements-Norway
            631  Trade Agreements-Slovakian
            631  Trade Agreements-Turkey location: 350/68/10/04
71  710  Political Relations location: 350/68/10/04
71-76  711  European War location: 350/68/10/04
77  711.1  Neutrality, Neutrals
            711.2  Neutral Commerce
            711.3  Trading With Enemy
            800  Political Reports-General
            800  Political Reports-Baltic States
            800  Political Reports-Croatia
            800  Political Reports-Denmark location: 350/68/10/05
78  800  Political Reports-Norway location: 350/68/10/05
79  800  Political Reports-Sweden
            800  Political Reports-Yugoslavia location: 350/68/10/05
81  820  Military Affairs
            820.02  Axis Activities location: 350/68/10/05
82  848  Relief, Refugees location: 350/68/10/05
83  850  Economic Matters location: 350/68/10/05
84  851  Financial Conditions
            851.5  Gold Shipments
            851.6  Banks, Banking
            851.7  Exchanges location: 350/68/10/06
85  851.8  Blocked Funds
            854  Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights location: 350/68/10/06
1943
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
96  631  Trade Relations-Belgian
            631  Trade Relations-Danish
            631  Trade Relations-Finnish
            631  Trade Relations-French
            631  Trade Relations-German
            631  Trade Relations-Holland
            631  Trade Relations-Hungarian
            631  Trade Relations-Italian
            631  Trade Relations-Norwegian
            631  Trade Relations-Portuguese
            631  Trade Relations-Rumanian
            631  Trade Relations-Slovakian
            631  Trade Relations-Soviet
            631  Trade Relations-Spanish
            631  Trade Relations-Swiss
            631  Trade Relations-Turkish
            631  Trade Relations-United States
            710  Political Relations-Denmark
            710  Political Relations-Finland location: 350/68/10/07
97-101 711  European War location: 350/68/10/07 
102  711.1  Neutrality, Neutrals
            711.2  Neutral Commerce
            711.3  Trading With Enemy
            711.6  War Crimes location: 350/68/11/01
103-106 800  Political Reports-General
            800  Political Reports-Austria
            800  Political Reports-Baltic States
            800  Political Reports-Denmark
            800  Political Reports-Estonia
            800  Political Reports-Finland
            800  Political Reports-Germany
            800  Political Reports-Holland
            800  Political Reports-Hungary
            800  Political Reports-Iceland
            800  Political Reports-Latvia
            800  Political Reports-Lithuania
            800  Political Reports-Norway
            800  Political Reports-Poland
            800  Political Reports-Rumania
            800  Political Reports-Sweden location: 350/68/11/01
108  820.02  Axis Activities location: 350/68/11/02
110  848  Relief, Refugees
            850  Economic Matters-Austria
            850  Economic Matters-Baltic States
            850  Economic Matters-Denmark
            850  Economic Matters-Estonia
            850  Economic Matters-Germany
            850  Economic Matters-Lithuania
            850  Economic Matters-Norway location: 350/68/11/02
111  850  Economic Matters-Norway
            850  Economic Matters-Sweden
            850  Economic Matters-Ukraine
            850.31  Census of American-Owned Property
location: 350/68/11/02
112  850.6  Insurance
            851  Financial Conditions
            851.5  Exchange
            851.6  Banks, Banking
            851.8  Blocked Funds location: 350/68/11/03
113  863.4  Gold Production of Sweden
            863.5  Base Metals location: 350/68/11/03
117  871  Censorship location: 350/68/11/03
1944
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
119  711.1  Neutrals
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/04
1945
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
120  711  Germany
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/04
1946
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
122  711.3  Proclaimed List
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/04
123  848  Relief
            851  Washington Accord Implementation location: 350/68/11/04
1947
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
125  800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/04
127  711  War Damage Compensation location: 350/68/11/04
1948
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
128  800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/05
1949
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
131  321.3  Safehaven
            321.3  Economic Warfare, Trading With Enemy, Blacklist, Foreign  Funds, Frozen Credits location: 350/68/11/05
1950-1952
Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
133  321.1  Neutrality location: 350/68/11/05
134  321.3  Economic Warfare location: 350/68/11/06

    Classified General File (Confidential File) 1944-1952 (Entry 3197)

        Boxes 1-13 location: 350/68/11/07
        1944
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
        1  711.1  Swedish Neutrality
            800  Political Reports
            851  Financial Conditions
            863.5  Base Metals
            866.12 SKF
            866.12 Ball Bearings location: 350/68/11/07
        1945
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject 
        2  711.3  Safehaven
            711  Swedish Desire to Investigate Documents Concerning Sweden in  Germany
            711  List of Swedish Nationals Decorated by the German Government
            800  Contains information on Sweden's Wartime Policies
            824.2  The Business Connections of Aktiebolaget Borfus with Argentina
            851  Safehaven-German Property
            851  Control of Italian Foreign Exchange Assets in Neutral Countries
location: 350/68/11/07
        1945-1946
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject 
        3  711.3  Proclaimed List
            800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/07
        1946-1947
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject 
        4  851  Safehaven (2 folders)
            851  Safehaven-Looted Gold
            851  Safehaven-Bosch, et al
            851  Safehaven-German Assets location: 350/68/11/07
        1947
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject 
        5  800  Political Reports
            851  German Inter Allied Committee (1947-1948)
            851  Miscellaneous, including frozen assets and aide to the Nazis
            851  Safehaven
            851  Safehaven-Looted Gold
            851  Safehaven-German Assets location: 350/68/11/07
        1948
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject 
        6  800  Political Reports location: 350/68/11/07
        7  851  I.G. Farben
            851  Gold
            851  German State Property
            851  Safehaven-Patents and Trademarks
            851  Miscellaneous
            851  Safehaven
            851  Safehaven-German Assets
            851  Bosch location: 350/68/12/01
        1949
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
        8  321.3  Safehaven
            321.3  Looted Gold
            350  Refugees location: 350/68/12/01
        1950-1952
        Box #  File #  File Title or Subject
        9  321.3  Proclaimed Lists
            321.3  German Assets location: 350/68/12/01

Top Secret General Records 1943-1952 (Entry 3198)

        Boxes 1-4 location: 350/68/12/02
        Box #  Subject Matter
        1  Telegrams Sent and Received Relating to Finland, 1943-1945
        2-4  Pertain primarily to Atomic Energy Matters and NATO

Classified General Records 1953-1963 (Entry 3201A)
       
        Box #  File #  File Title 
        1  321.3  German Assets 1955  location: 350/68/12/04
        2  321.3  German Assets 1954
            321.3  German Assets 1953
            321.3  Japanese Assets  location: 350/68/12/05
        6  321.3  German Assets 1956-1958 location: 350/68/12/05

Footnotes

{1}Return to text Researchers should find some interesting perspectives about the Swedish-American relationship during the war in Acheson, Present At The Creation, op. cit., pp. 50-52, 58-59.

{2}Return to text Clarke, "Safehaven Study," pp. 162-165, 171-172. Researchers on these issues should consult these to Foreign Relations of the United States volumes: FRUS, 1944, Vol. II, pp. 213-251. "Concern of the United States over Enemy Attempts to Secrete Funds or Other Assets in Neutral Countries; Inception of the Safehaven Program" and FRUS, 1945, Vol. II, pp. 852-932. "Concern of the United States over Enemy Attempts to Secrete Funds or Other Assets in Neutral Countries; Implementation of the Safehaven Program."

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