Embassy of the United States Helsinki, Finland

July 1, 1940

In October 1939 the Soviet government made territorial demands on Finland. A Finnish delegation went to Moscow but the negotiations broke down. On November 29 the Soviet government renewed diplomatic relations and its armed forces attacked Finland without warning on the morning of November 30. There were several air raids over Helsinki and the staff spent part of the day in the air raid shelter in the Stockmann building.

After a conference in the morning with the Military Attaché, Major Frank B. Hayne, and other officers, Minister Schonfeld decided to evacuate Helsinki immediately and the only room left at the Bad Grankulla hotel was engaged for an office. The Minister and Mr. Higgs, together with some of the ladies, found quarters in the Minister’s “stuga” about two kilometers from Kyrkslätt station. The rest of the staff lived at Bad Grankulla or in the neighboring villages.

All of the wives and children of members of the staff and the women members were evacuated to Stockholm on a ship chartered by our Legation there. They left Bad Grankulla by bus for Åbo the night of December 3 together with several other American citizens, all of whom had been notified of the sailing of the ship through the newspapers and radio.

The office quarters in the Stockmann building were given up December 31, 1939 and the furniture moved to the new Legation building at 21 Östra Brunnsparken, which was not yet completed. On January 7, 1940 the Minister and secretaries moved their living quarters from the “stuga” at Kyrkslätt to a rented villa in Grankulla. One week later the “stuga” was subjected to a severe bombardment by Soviet planes, one small bomb passing through the roof and living room.

Major Hayne, who came here from Moscow in November 1939, was the first Military Attaché stationed at Helsinki. In February 1940 he was replaced by Major George E. Huthsteiner and became his assistant. Captain Robert Losey arrived as Air Attaché in February. Major Hayne and Captain Losey were transferred to Stockholm and Oslo in April and Captain Losey was killed by a German bomb splinter in Norway ten days later. Major Huthsteiner returned to his former station at Riga May 31.

Dr. Spencer and Dr. Murray of the U.S. Public Health Service arrived in January to represent the American Red Cross in aiding the Finnish Red Cross, and left in April.

The war was ended by a treaty of peace signed at Moscow on March 12, 1940.

On April 1, 1940 the office quarters were moved from Bad Grankulla to the new Legation building, which was by then substantially completed, and the Minister took up residence there in May.

The construction of a building for the Legation and Consulate quarters was authorized by a law of June 15, 1935 at an expenditure of $300,000. The building site was selected by Keith Merrill, chief of the Foreign Buildings Office of the Department, and Minister Albright. The land was purchased February 1, 1936 for $48,000. The consulting architect was Mr. Hannie T. Lindeberg of Washington. A contract was signed October 24, 1938 with Oy Concrete for construction of the building for eight million Finnmarks. Land was broken early in December the same year. By contract the building was to be completed October 1, 1939 but it was delayed by the slow arrival of equipment from the United States and then by the outbreak of war, particularly by the bombing of a factory where the woodwork was being made. Mr. R. R. Montell, a local consulting engineer, who had returned from the United States, was supervisor of construction.

Henry Antheil, an American clerk transferred here from Moscow in November 1939, was killed on June 14, 1940 when the Finnish plane from Tallinn exploded over the Gulf of Finland and was lost with all on board.