Wednesday, 24 November

At 4.00 p.m. I visited Swedish Minister Assarson. He told me that during Soviet National Day, after Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Molotov got drunk, he expressed discontent with him, which was still about the Lidoranko case. He didn’t understand why Molotov, was so concerned with such an unimportant person, whom he mentioned in person three times. I said the Soviet Government personnel system is different from other countries, they always dispatched extremely important people under extremely humble titles to work in foreign countries, particularly secret agents. Therefore, earlier I had urged the Swedish Government to be accommodating over such trivial matters and to try to find a way on its own (For instance the Ministry of Justice could send a petition to the Swedish King, saying that someone would be granted amnesty on personal health grounds.) to release him back to the Soviet Union, because under the current chaotic situation in the world, it is already extremely lucky that Sweden hasn’t been drawn into war. Now tolerance is of the utmost necessity when ruling a country. He strongly agreed. He also said that although on this day Molotov had embarrassed him at the banquet, Molotov on the one hand repeatedly told him that he was good to him, and on the other hand because Sweden was in difficulty he had to tolerate reluctantly. He recalled that the year before last when the European war broke out, during a banquet in Berlin held by the German Government, Goebbels openly criticised the Swedish Minister that Sweden had not joined the Axis. The Swedish Minister immediately answered with “Did you invite me here to listen to this!”  After saying this, he bowed and left. The German people criticised Goebbels for a long time and said he could have done this to Molotov, but for the county’s benefit, he didn’t do so. I thought he was correct.

In the evening Military Attaché Guo invited the Norwegian Ambassador, the French Ambassador Garreau, General Petit (Fighting French), Hamilton, General Lefebvre (Canada), Colonel Turne (Britain), Lieutenant-Colonel Rotzech (Yugoslavia), Perkins, Colonel V,Hassel (Norway), Colonel Okuluch (Canada) and others.