- Project Runeberg -  Diplomatic Reminiscences before and during the World War, 1911-1917 /
356

(1920) [MARC] Author: Anatolij Nekljudov - Tema: Russia, War
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Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XIX. Sweden in 1915

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Affairs, considered it a propitious moment to restore to
Russia her plenary rights in the Aland Archipelago. The
Berlin Government, sounded beforehand on the subject,
promptly consented to support the Russian proposal;
it was, first, one more means of arousing the suspicions
and fears of Sweden with regard to Russia; and then it
afforded an opportunity of separating Russia—on the
Baltic question at least—from France and England, who
would probably still maintain their point of view of 1856.

In Sweden every one at once became most anxious.
Under the circumstances, King Gustaf V. made a
personal application to the Emperor Nicolas II. He wrote
a letter in which he entreated his powerful neighbour
not to create fresh difficulties for the Swedish
Crown—already sorely tried by the separation from Norway—by
rousing the apprehensions and the anxiety of Swedish
public opinion with regard to the Aland Islands. The
Emperor sent a very correct letter in answer, announcing
that he would not raise a question so delicate for the
prestige of the King and for the tranquillity of Sweden.[1]
This exchange of letters cleared up the situation for the
moment, but it did not settle the matter formally and
definitely. Uneasiness always existed in Sweden on the
subject of the Aland Islands, and the war of course
increased this uneasiness.

In the first place, Russia hastened to fortify the
Archipelago. Sweden could easily understand that we
could not do otherwise, given the supremacy of the
German Fleet in the Baltic. But once the fortifications
were erected should we be inclined to demolish them at
the end of the war? And if it was Germany who won,
would she not be only too glad to profit by an equivocal
situation to establish a strong naval station in the
Archipelago and thus command the Swedish coast so
close to Stockholm? On the side of Russia, Sweden
dreaded above all the installation in the Archipelago of a
permanent military aviation base, whence in less than


[1] I never actually saw the letters, but their contents were related to me
by some one whom I consider to be truthful.

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