Finland and the United States, 1917–1919

The Finnish proclamation of independence, the outbreak of the Finnish civil war and, later, the drawing of Finland into the sphere of influence created by Berlin in Central Europe caused Finnish-American relations to stagnate and ultimately to be frozen for several months. The State Department considered whether Finland should be recognised as one of enemies of the United States, while the Finnish government showed no desire to activate political contacts between Helsinki and Washington. The reorientation of Finnish policy created by the military defeat of Germany created conditions for the gradual stabilisation of Finnish-American economic and, later, political relations.