bout de papier, Vol. 21, No. 4 (2005) — Winter 2005 // Hiver 2005, pp. 35–38
When John Kearney composed his first despatch after the presentation of his credentials as Canada’s first minister to Denmark, he evidently took the admonition from the Walrus, at least according to Lewis Carroll, to heart. In a wide-ranging account of his travels and impressions sent after his return to the legation in Oslo, Kearney indeed wrote “of many things,” including the price of cabbages and the “high esteem” of kings (Christian X of Denmark and Haakon VIl of Norway). Comparisons within Scandinavia came naturally to Kearney, not least because he was already serving as Canadian minister to Norway. Moreover, as his report indicated, the recent experience of war had highlighted not only similarities but also differences.
On the sixtieth anniversary of the formal beginning of Canadian diplomatic representation (albeit nonresident) in Copenhagen, bout de papier reprints Kearney’s first despatch. We would like to thank Canada’s current ambassador to Denmark and former member of the editorial board, Fredericka Gregory, for initiating the search for this document, which can be found in the files of the Department of External Affairs (Record Group 25, volume 3788, file 8191-40) at the Library and Archives of Canada.
Hector Mackenzie CANADIAN LEGATION AIRMAIL. SECRET.
NO.I DENMARK Oslo, April 16th, 1946.
1. In accordance with my cable No. 23 of April 4th, I have the honour to report that on that date I presented my credentials to King Christian X of Denmark, whence I have just returned.
2. In relating a few of my impressions of the places and people with whom I came in contact in Denmark, I shall endeavour to compare and contrast them with those I experienced in Norway, in the hope that by doing so I shall convey a composite idea of conditions in the two countries to which I am accredited. Perforce my observations will not be profound, but impressionistic, and by design they will attempt to be of an intimate and speculative character rather than of a formal and statistical nature. I shall speak of the “cabbages” as well as of the “Kings”
3. Some matters of specific interest which I think require detailed consideration are dealt with in separate reports.
4. In order to recall my experiences in chronological order, I shall begin by a digression, namely, a few paragraphs on Sweden.
• In making the journey by car from Osio to Copenhagen, (which is approximately the same distance as from Montreal to New York – 400 miles), I passed through the south-western portion of Sweden along the seacoast. The manner in which fertile fields have been won from a mountainous countryside is indicative of much long and hard labour. The districts through which I passed were adequately wooded and well provided with lakes. The farm houses looked comfortable, the horses fat, and new farm implements and trucks could be seen in abundance. Everything was well cared for, and the farming class looked more prosperous than any similar class I have ever seen. One was equally impressed with the sense of well being which was noticeable in the towns. The only sizeable city we passed through was Gothenburg. I was amazed at the quantities and varieties of goods on display. One could purchase almost anything, including American, English and even some Canadian goods, and on the way back a huge consignment had just arrived from the Argentine. As instances of prevailing prices, Swedish-made eight tube radios (Phillips), of the most recent design, are procurable at $125.00; cabbages sell at 5 cents per head; imports such as French perfumes are available at half the prevailing price in the United States of America and Canada; a package of Edgeworth tobacco is $1.00; and grapefruit are 15 cents a piece. There appeared to be plenty of buying power. The stores were well filled with customers and exceedingly well staffed. New York and Montreal shops would appear denuded in Sweden, where an air of opulence prevails, which, I am told, exceeds that of prewar days. Shortages of rubber and coal were notable exceptions. Automobile tires are at a huge premium.
• The feelings between Denmark and Sweden, at least from the Danish view, are not as friendly as prior to the war, but a coolness is much more marked in the Norwegian attitude towards the Swedes. This is particularly true among the Norwegians who took part in the resistance movement. They are resentful that Sweden allowed German troops to traverse their country into Norway, and not infrequently recall that as late as 1940, the Swedish High Command exchanged decorations with Goering. Among the minority and less belligerent type, there is recognition of the difficult position which Sweden occupied, as well as the haven which it constituted for Danish and Norwegian escapees. The business class are inclined to take the view that on the whole it has been a very good thing for Norway and Denmark that Sweden was neutral, and a few even go so far as to say that, after all, Sweden merely succeeded in maintaining a policy which the other two countries had endeavoured to follow but had failed in the attempt.
Incidentally, in speaking to Danes and Norwegians who had been absent from their country during the war, one is struck by the fact that in both cases there is an air of disappointment at what they find on their return. In the case particularly of Norwegians who have spent some training time in Canada, I notice that they speak of the wonderful opportunities which Canada provides compared with those of their own country. They seem irked by what they regard as backwardness and insularism. For instance, they criticize the disposition of the Norwegian working day (labourers 8-4, government offices 9-3, with a snack but no time off in between, followed by a main meal at about 4:30, and a light supper at 9). Why, they ask, can not Norwegians eat and work like the rest of the world? O. Those returning to Denmark (some from abroad, and some from asylum in Sweden) find their countrymen less gay, less inclined to work, and less frank with each other. The last state of affairs is attributed to the thirty thousand odd Quislings who are being brought to justice in Denmark. The existence of a Quisling in a family has, naturally enough, served to cause dissension and, in many cases, shame and resentment.
1, As time passes, there should be a revival of the spirit of industry. An improvement in this regard is already noticeable in Norway. When our Trade Secretary, Mr. Shirley G. MacDonald, was in Oslo in July, 1945, every day, he observed, was a holiday, and the great masses simply refused to do any work. Today people are back to work, but during the occupation they became so accustomed to slowdown methods that it may take some considerable time before they realize the necessity for an honest day’s work.
• In Denmark, the labour troubles are mainly confined to rural districts, but they have far-reaching consequences because agriculture is the backbone of the country. During the German occupation farmers were given high prices for their products and farm hands benefited accordingly. It was easy for the Germans to be generous towards agriculture. They were paying Danish farmers and farm hands from the coffers of the Danish National Bank. This has had a very undesirable aftermath. The farm hands, having become accustomed to high wages, now refuse to work on the farm for less, and desert country life for the city. : The situation is even more serious than meets the eye. Prior to the war, by keeping costs of production down, and by scientific methods securing high yields, and by co-operative methods of marketing, Denmark was able to sell such products as bacon, poultry, and butter to Great Britain at profitable prices, against world competition. Some of the more thoughtful Danish people with whom I spoke were greatly perturbed at what they regard as the present precarious economy of their country. They fear that because of the necessity of paying high wages, importing feeding stuffs and fertilizers at high prices, and because of increased competition from abroad, they may either lose out in the British market or be compelled to sell at a loss.
• Because of the necessity for a policy of belt-tightening in the form of reduction of wages among farm hands, and the incapability of the present government to put through measures (which I shall have occasion to refer to again) which would be, of course, controversial, I fear times in Denmark may become worse before they become better. What may save the Danish situation is that new markets for food products may and should, one would think, be readily found in an underfed world, but, unfortunately, those whose need is great have little money.
5. I was glad of the opportunity I had while in Montreal, in danuary last, of entertaining the Danish Editors, Messrs. Hansen, Nielson, Hirtgelt and Westfall, when they were on a visit to Canada, because on my arrival in Copenhagen I was no stranger to the Press, and they were anxious to be of assistance to me. If the Danish Government can be said to have an official organ, it is the Berlingske Tidende, of which Mr. Westiall is the editor. His representative, Miss Bayth Ryssel, who is a very able reporter, interviewed me.
6. Like most of her countrymen, Miss Ryssel seemed to be conscious that on April 9th, 1940, when the Germans marched in, the number of Danes who died in defence of their country was few. They seem to imagine that the rest of the world is critical of them for an insufficient display of spirit in the early days of the war. However true this may be, I feel the Danes are over-sensitive on the subject, particularly in view of the later growth of their resistance movement. I think it could be said that King Christian X gave the signal which roused the spirit of the Danes, when, in September 1942, he sent a telegram to Hitler in answer to the latter’s dispatch of congratulations, in terms so curt that Wilhelmstrasse took it as an insult, recalled the German Minister from Copenhagen, at the same time pointing out to the Danish Minister in Berlin that his presence was no longer wanted. From that day on, the Danish underground grew rapidly and, apart from rendering effective aid to Norwegians by surreptitiously providing them with food, they saved the lives of many Jews and others who had incurred the disfavour of the Germans, by smuggling them into Sweden. They performed many acts of daring sabotage and, as a consequence, one hundred and thirteen of them were executed, four hundred and fifty died in concentration camps, and eight hundred were killed in counter-sabotage, and over fifteen thousand were interned 17. King Haakon VII of Norway was loud in his praises of the performance of the Danes in a country which is flat, and affords neither protection nor seclusion. Norwegians are almost unanimous in saying that, but for the food supplies received from the Danes, many of them would have died. The Danes, on their part, admire the heroic fight and suffering of the Norwegians (both in men executed and interned, the figures are many times greater than the Danish ones), and their contribution, particularly in ships and men, to the allied cause, which they admit far exceeded their own.
18. Due to the foregoing, and happily for me, the relationship between the Danes and the Norwegians was never so cordial as at present. It is literally true to say that tears start from their eyes when they meet. The Norwegians have gone out of their way to offer to the Danes all the hospitality of which their limited resources will permit. In the mountain country back of Oslo, Norwegians by the score have placed their chalets and huts at the disposal of visiting Danes for the skiing season.
19. In matters of trade, one could easily observe that in Copenhagen there is a great deal of activity at present, among the Americans and the British, with regard to the Danish market. The United States, I understand, are anxious to interest the Danes in a large loan. I endeavoured to seize the opportunity, before such a loan may be effected, to try to impress upon those in key positions in the Danish Government the advisability of looking at what Canada had to offer in the way of financial assistance, and also what she can display in her shop window, before making commitments elsewhere.
20. Put negatively, Denmark is in need of everything, with the exception of dairy products, diesel engines, ships and cement.
21. One cannot help but feel concerned lest our American cousins unwittingly perhaps may cause a stagnation in trade similar to that which resulted in the debacle of 1929 and the early ’30s, when by raising tariffs and securing control of most of the gold, at the same time being the largest creditor nation in the world, they thereby precipitated a widespread depression. Although professing, apparently, to realize the folly of this policy, the United States of America, by attempting to monopolize an export market, which means relatively little to her because of her huge home consumption but is the life stream of small nations restricted as to resources and dependent on imports, such as Norway and Denmark, may very well bring about an undesirable dislocation in world markets.
• As an evidence of what appears on the part of the United States of America as immaturity and short-sightedness in dealing with international trade, one might cite the example of the terms which were proposed to Norway in connection with a loan. The United States of America reasonably enough required that the proceeds of the loan be spent by the Norwegian Government in the acquisition of American products, but a rider was added whereby the United States of America might require that all goods be transported to Norway in American bottoms. Norway’s principal source of export (invisible, if you will) is shipping. As a result the loan is still pending. Norway and Denmark are alike in that their mainspring of exports, and hence their power to pay for their imports, is based to a very large extent simply on their skill. As I see it, the secret of the Danes’ success up to the present in their tiny agricultural country (16,500 square miles) has been their ability to take so much out of so little so often. Norway, although possessing some natural resources such as hydroelectric power and timber, which are not possessed by Denmark, is dependent mainly on the skill possessed by her seamen. But for the Norwegian merchant navy, fishing and whaling, it would be impossible for Norway to pay her way.
25. The Norwegian Government is contemplating the export of power to Sweden and to Denmark via Sweden and, if the plans of Finance Minister Brofoss carry, Norwegians will be asked during the next five years to concentrate on building up export credits, while accepting a 30% reduction in their prewar standard of living, in order to be able to curtail imports. The Labour Party now in power in Norway is capable due to its overall majority, slight though it be, of putting through, without fear, measures which might be the subject of controversy, whereas in Denmark the Farmers Party, which is in power, is only the second largest party in their Rigstad.
26. In the elections of last October, the Socialist party, which has enjoyed a long run of power in Denmark, ceased to command an overall majority, whereupon it refused to form a government, and Mr. Kristensen, the leader of the Farmers’ Party (which is really the non-extreme liberal party) was called upon to name a cabinet. It is chosen from the ranks of the party and the government is, therefore, not a coalition government in that sense, but it is to the extent that the party in power carries on with the unpredictable support of the Social Democrats, a situation which makes for weak government. How dependent the Farmers’ Party is on outside support is apparent, because it commands only thirty eight seats out of one hundred forty-eight.
27. I considered myself rather unfortunate in arriving in Denmark almost at the same time as the new agreement between Great Britain and Canada, relative to bacon, was announced. The Danes, however, took a surprisingly cheerful view of a threat to a market which they heretofore regarded as their own. They took solace out of the fact that Canada was able to secure an initial 10% increase over previous prices, which were to scale up during the life of the agreement. The Danish agreement with Great Britain will to all intents and purposes expire in October of this year and the Danes consider that, because of Canada’s agreement, they will automatically secure an increased price from Great Britain for their own products.
28. I now propose to deal with a totally different topic, namely, the high esteem in which their Majesties, the Kings of Denmark and Norway, are held by their subjects and which, particularly in the case of King Christian X, amounts to almost hero worship.
29. King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway are, as you know, brother Danes, and two more popular monarchs it would be hard to imagine. King Christian X is seventy-six years (two years older than his brother) and is, unfortunately, crippled due to a fall from his horse which occurred a few years ago during the German occupation, while riding in the street. He is, justly I think, regarded as the world’s most beloved and democratic king. He is a keen horseman and during all his life has been accustomed to ride in the streets of Copenhagen unaccompanied. He needs no escort because, as he said himself, “Everyone of my subjects is my bodyguard”.
30. I saw a performance of the Royal Danish Ballet when the King was present. As usual with him, except on special occasions, he likes to be, and is, treated as an ordinary civilian. He was not in the Royal Box when the curtains rose, but after the first act he was seen to be sitting there alone. Except for the occasional discreet and kindly glances which everybody cast in his direction, no other notice was taken of his presence.
31. His reputation among his own people has been enhanced by his conduct during the war, which was both dignified and brave. I was told on good authority of an instance when the Germans hoisted the German flag over the city after lowering the Danish one. King Christian sent for the German Reich commissar responsible and requested him to take down the German flag. The request was refused, whereupon the King said that he would send a soldier to lower it. The German answered that the soldier would be shot.
The King replied, “Very well, I will be the soldier.” The flag was removed.
Strange to relate, Queen Alexandrina, his wife, is exceedingly popular despite the fact that before her marriage she was Princess Mechlenburg of Germany. She is credited with having told her German sister-in-law, who paid her a visit during the German occupation, that Princess Mechlenburg’s carriage was awaiting when the latter said to the Queen, “We Germans must stick together”
I was received by the King and Queen at the same audience. As you know, my wife has not yet arrived in Scandinavia, and the King noticing I was alone when I entered, laughingly greeted me by saying, “What, you have no wife?” After this introduction, which set one at one’s ease, the conversation with both the King and Queen was affable and informal. On being asked by King Christian regarding the state of his brother’s health, I took occasion to describe for him the ovation which was given to King Haakon VII at the Holmenkollen Ski Championship, which was held in March, this year, for the first time since 1938, and viewed by over 100,000 Norwegians. The Germans during their occupation had endeavoured to force the Norwegians to hold the Ski Championships as usual. This the Norwegians refused to do, and punishment ensued. The ovation which was given King Haakon VII, when he stepped on the royal platform situated high up near the jump take-off, was dramatic and touching. King Haakon’s attitude towards the Germans was so well known during his sojourn in England that it requires no comment. The Diplomatic Corps in Copenhagen and in Oslo are of comparable size. The topic of conversation especially among the new ministers, is identical in both cities: “Are you still living in the hotel?”
The American Missions in Norway and Denmark are decidedly impressive. They have a staff of one hundred and twenty in Oslo, and over one hundred and fifty in Copenhagen. The British realize they have a prestige to maintain, if not to restore. Their Embassy in Oslo and Legation in Copenhagen are impressive both as buildings and personnel. They have a staff in each place of approximately sixty persons.
7. I will not go into particulars with regard to my visits with my colleagues in the Diplomatic Corps, but will conclude this despatch with a comment on two distinguished visitors who came to Copenhagen during my stay.
8. One was General Jakuschoff, Commander of the Russian Army in Bornholm, and his party, who came at the invitation of the Danish Government, who wished to honour them before their departure from Bornholm. As Bornholm is more contiguous to Sweden than to Denmark, the relief on the Russians vacating the Island was even more heartfelt in Sweden than in Denmark. The Danes openly, and rather naively I thought, declared they were delighted to give a party for the Russians because they were so pleased to see them go.
9. The other distinguished visitor was Princess Juliana of Holland. Her visit was in order to express the appreciation of the Dutch people for the help which they received from Denmark, particularly since the liberation. Princess Juliana brought with her the famous Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, who played before a large and distinguished gathering. The Diplomatic Corps was present at the invitation of Jonkheer van Lennep, the Netherlands’ Minister Princess Juliana’s visit was enthusiastically publicized in the Danish Press and all of Denmark seemed to rejoice at the mutual respect and warmth of good feeling which exists between the Dutch and Danish people. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, [signed] J. D. Kearney, M.C., K.C. Minister for Canada in Denmark Carbon copies sent to Canadian Missions in: London, the Hague, Brussels, Dublin.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 21, No. 4 (2005) — Winter 2005 // Hiver 2005, pp. 35–38. Read the rest of this issue →
