Part II
Moscow Kremlin
Russian SFSR, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
November 7, 1967
“I'm sorry,
what did they do?”
“They built a nuclear bomb, Leader. Goodness knows how they managed that.”
Leonid Brezhnev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was catatonic, something that did not happen often. He sat in silence for a few seconds, before finally blurting out the obvious question: “What effect will this have on our interests in Finland?”
“We don't quite know yet,” Foreign Minister Gromyko responded, “but we do know it can't be positive.”
“The Swedes have been working militarily with the United States for a very long time, whether or not they admit it. Could it be that the Americans have given them the bomb as a prelude to joining NATO openly?”
“Again, we don't know, though it remains a very real possibility.”
Once again, Brezhnev sat silent for a few seconds, before finally responding with another question. “Supposing the Swedes did get their nukes from America, and supposing they would fight with America if it comes to that – could they conceivably reach Leningrad with these things?”
“If they wanted to they could reach Leningrad with bombers, but they don't actually have missiles with that kind of range.”
“Well, whether or not they can reach us this presents an intolerable threat to Finland. If we don't stand up for our Warsaw Pact allies, who will?”
“Indeed, Leader.”
“Comrade Foreign Minister, I want you to send a note of instruction to Comrade Fedorenko in New York. This is what I want it to say...”
---
United Nations Headquarters
New York, United States
November 7, 1967
As the General Assembly quieted down, Sverker Åström approached the podium and began reading from a piece of paper.
“Mr President, Members of the Assembly, I come before this Assembly at a decisive moment in the history of the world. At 07:30 CET yesterday morning, the Government of Sweden announced to the world its possession of nuclear weapons. Twenty-one hours later, the Swedish Armed Forces conducted its first test detonation of a tactical atomic weapon deep below the mountains of Lapland. This day will go down in history as the day the Kingdom of Sweden joined the club of atomic weapons states.”
A number of delegates gasped in shock, others seemed less fazed – those were the ones from the great powers and the Northern European states, who had previously been informed of the matter and most of whom had been forced to devote much of their day to dealing with it.
“In light of these events, I have been instructed by my government to make a statement to this Assembly in hopes of assuaging in part the concern that has arisen. The Kingdom of Sweden wishes to assure the world that the foundation of its foreign policy – nonalignment in peace and neutrality in war – will not be changed by this change in power. The Swedish Government remains committed to the ideals of peace, democracy and international solidarity, and to this end it wishes to be open about the goals of its new defense policy course. The Swedish atomic weapons arsenal will only, and I repeat only, be used to defend the borders of Sweden. We unilaterally bind ourselves not to use atomic weapons in any first-strike situation. We additionally hope to continue our friendly relations with the governments and peoples of the Kingdoms of Norway and Denmark as well as the Soviet Union and the Democratic Republic of Finland, and to secure in perpetuity the peace and stability of the region. Thank you.”
Åström descended from the podium and returned to his seat, amidst stern glances from the American and Soviet representatives. The latter requested a reply, which was granted by the President, and a few seconds later, Nikolai Trofimovich Fedorenko approached the podium.
“Mr President, Members of the Assembly, on behalf of the people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, I would like to express our stern condemnation of the actions of the Swedish Government. Regardless of their intent, the nuclear arming of the Baltic region will not serve the interests of peace, but rather further escalate the international tensions that already permeate the region. We additionally condemn the United States and the NATO leadership for allowing these events to take place, and for further extending their sphere of influence in direct threat to the peace-loving peoples of Finland and the three Baltic Soviet Socialist Republics. That is all. Thank you.”
His short message completed, Nikolai Trofimovich Fedorenko sat back down. His message met with serious upheaval from several of the members, and the United States representative demanded an immediate reply.
