https://doi.org/10.47743/RRISXX.2024-2-7
Issue: 2/2024
Pages: 127-146
Language: English
Author: Andreea Dahlquist
Abstract: Shortly after establishing the Swedish Legation in Bucharest in 1922, the authorities in Stockholm appointed a military attaché tasked with reporting on the state of the Romanian army and its relations with neighbouring countries, particularly the Soviet Union. The Swedish government sought to gather intelligence about the Red Army in anticipation of a potential military confrontation with the Soviets. During the Second World War, not only did the military attaché send reports to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, but other members of the legation, including the minister plenipotentiary and the legation secretary, also contributed with information. These professional diplomats successfully established a network of informants who provided accurate and vital intelligence that benefited not only Stockholm but also other nations, such as Finland, during the Second World War. The subjects documented by the Swedish diplomats encompassed the reformation and modernization of the Romanian army, the army’s conditions on the eastern front, and the influence of the war’s developments on the political decisions made by the authorities in Bucharest.
Keywords: military attaché, military strategies, alliances, Sweden, Romania, interwar period, Second World War