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Vilhelm Assarsson

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Vilhelm Assarsson
Born
Per Vilhelm Gustaf Assarsson

(1889-04-22)22 April 1889
Lund, Sweden
Died11 October 1974(1974-10-11) (aged 85)
Stockholm, Sweden
Burial placeGalärvarvskyrkogården
Alma materLund University
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1916–1955

Per Vilhelm Gustaf Assarsson (22 April 1889 – 11 October 1974) was a Swedish diplomat. Assarsson was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1889, the son of a law professor. He graduated with a law degree in 1911 and began his career as a court clerk and district judge. In 1916, he joined the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, serving as attaché in Copenhagen and Berlin. Over the years, he held key diplomatic positions, including acting legation secretary in Berlin, head of Sweden's first political bureau, and legation counsellor in Washington, D.C. He became a resident envoy to Peru in 1935, accredited to several Latin American countries, and later served in Moscow, where he was involved in trade negotiations with the Soviet Union.

In 1943, Assarsson was declared persona non grata by the Soviet Union and returned to Sweden. He was later appointed deputy state secretary for foreign affairs and played a significant role in the restoration of the Arvfurstens palats, the ministry's headquarters. He retired in 1955 after a long diplomatic career.

Assarsson remained active in business and cultural circles, joining the boards of several companies and supporting causes like flood relief efforts in Spain. A passionate collector of art and antiques, he also set a Swedish record for Grand Crosses. In 1963, he published his memoir, In the Shadow of Stalin, recounting his experiences as Sweden's envoy in Moscow.

Early life

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Assarsson was born on 22 April 1889, in Lund Cathedral Parish [sv] in Lund, Sweden,[1] the son of Professor Pehr Assarsson [sv] (1838–1894) and his wife, Gustava "Gusten" Flensburg (1867–1964).[2] His maternal grandfather was Bishop Wilhelm Flensburg [sv; da; de], and his brother was the Catholic priest David Assarsson.[3] He passed studentexamen in 1907 and earned a Candidate of Law degree in 1911. From 1911 to 1915, he served as a court clerk in the Torna and Bara judicial district [sv],[3] and from 1914 to 1915, he was acting district judge (domhavare) in the same jurisdiction.[4]

Career

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Assarsson became an attaché at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1916, serving in Copenhagen and Berlin the same year.[4] In 1918, he was appointed acting legation secretary in Berlin and returned to the ministry in 1919. Between 1919 and 1923, he served as secretary of the ministry's admissions committee and was also involved in trade negotiations with Germany in 1921. That same year, he became acting head of the first political bureau (1:a politiska byrån) and later legation counsellor and head of the legal bureau (juridiska byrån). Between 1921 and 1922, he participated in Scandinavian cooperation efforts concerning economic interests in certain former warring nations.[4]

In 1923, Assarsson was appointed legation counsellor in Washington, D.C., and in 1929, he became chargé d'affaires in Mexico City. He later served as legation counsellor in Moscow (1930) and consul in Leningrad (1931), receiving the title of consul general in 1933.[4] In 1935, he was appointed envoy to Peru, where he was resident, and was also accredited to Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. In 1938, he became resident envoy in Mexico, with accreditations in Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Assarson became envoy to Russia in 1940 and was stationed in Moscow where he served as a delegate in Swedish-Soviet trade treaty negotiations that same year.[3] During the early years of World War II, he experienced the conflict firsthand and participated in the diplomatic corps' evacuation to Kuybyshev.[5]

On 17 December 1943, Assarsson was declared persona non grata. The official reason given was that the Swedish military attaché, Captain Hans Nygren [sv], had allegedly passed Soviet military secrets to Germany. Assarsson returned to Stockholm in February 1944. The Swedish government struggled to interpret the Soviet actions, and upon his return, Assarsson was appointed deputy state secretary for foreign affairs—a position created specifically for him as a demonstration of the government's continued trust. During the first half of 1945, he intermittently served as acting state secretary for foreign affairs, as the regular state secretary, Erik Boheman, was also serving as Sweden's envoy in Paris.[6]

Assarsson himself was convinced that his expulsion was purely a retaliatory move in response to Sweden's refusal to release and repatriate V. Sidorenko, the head of Intourist in Stockholm, who had been exposed as the leader of a Soviet spy ring.[7]

During his tenure as deputy state secretary for foreign affairs, Assarsson played a leading and inspirational role in the extensive restoration of the Arvfurstens palats—the headquarters of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs—returning it to its original grandeur.[8] He retired in 1955,[3] having left his position in 1953, at which point he was succeeded by Leif Belfrage [sv].[9]

Later work

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In April 1954, Assarsson was newly elected to the board of B.A. Hjorth & Co.[10] He also served as a board member of the Tessin Society (Tessinsällskapet) until 1959, as well as AB Bacho and Contactor Co.[3]

In November 1957, Assarsson, together with Rear Admiral Einar Blidberg, was among the 17 signatories of an appeal issued by a committee calling for Swedish aid to those affected by the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, the previous month. The fundraising efforts were carried out in collaboration with Save the Children. The committee had been formed on the initiative of the Swedish-Spanish Society (Svensk-spanska sällskapet) in Stockholm.[11]

Personal life

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Assarsson owned Villa Bergsgården [sv] on southern Djurgården in Stockholm from 1944. In 1954, he donated it to the Swedish Academy, intending for it to serve as an honorary residence for the Academy's Permanent Secretary or another member.[12][13]

Beyond his diplomatic career, Assarsson was also known as a collector of art and curiosities, including antique silver, 18th-century paintings, and antique furniture. He held the Swedish record for the highest number of Grand Crosses—27 in total.[7]

In 1963, he published his memoir, In the Shadow of Stalin, in which he recounted his experiences as Sweden's envoy in Moscow from 1940 to 1944.[7]

Assarsson's literary tastes were primarily focused on classic literature, with Michel de Montaigne and Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve among his favorite authors.[8]

Death

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Assarsson died on 11 October 1974 in Oscar Parish in Stockholm, Sweden.[1] He was interred on 19 November 1975 at Galärvarvskyrkogården in Stockholm.[14]

Awards and decorations

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In 1963, it was reported that Assarsson held the Swedish record for the highest number of Grand Crosses—27 in total.[7]

In 1967, according to the Ordenskalender, he was reported to be the second most decorated Swede, with 29 distinctions, ranking just behind Envoy Ove Ramel [sv], who held 35.[15]

By 1972, it was reported that Assarsson had 29 distinctions, including 21 Grand Crosses.[16]

Sweden

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Foreign

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Bibliography

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  • Assarsson, Vilhelm (1963). I skuggan av Stalin [In the shadow of Stalin] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. SELIBR 8390022.

References

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  1. ^ a b Sveriges dödbok 1947-2003 [Swedish death index 1947-2003] (in Swedish) (Version 3.0 ed.). Sundbyberg: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2005. SELIBR 9854744.
  2. ^ Kuylenstierna, C. W. U. (1920). "Pehr Assarsson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 2. National Archives of Sweden. p. 404. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. pp. 72–73. SELIBR 53509.
  4. ^ a b c d Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1945). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. D. 1, Stockholmsdelen. Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 1033. SELIBR 8198269.
  5. ^ "Vilhelm Assarsson 60 år" [Vilhelm Assarsson 60 years]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 21 April 1949. p. A15. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  6. ^ Kommissionen om den svenska utrikesledningens agerande i fallet Raoul Wallenberg (2003). Ett diplomatiskt misslyckande: fallet Raoul Wallenberg och den svenska utrikesledningen. Statens offentliga utredningar, 0375-250X ; 2003:18 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. pp. 59, 149. ISBN 9138219557. SELIBR 8866559.
  7. ^ a b c d Unger, Gunnar (25 October 1963). "Paasikivi i nytt ljus" [Paasikivi in a new light]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. A5. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  8. ^ a b Hägglöf, Gunnar (1 November 1974). "Vilhelm Assarsson". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 2a. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Omplaceringar i UD" [Reassignments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 April 1953. p. 16A. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  10. ^ "A.-b. B. A. Hjort & Co". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 29 April 1953. p. A17. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  11. ^ "Svensk hjälp till Valencia" [Swedish aid to Valencia]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 6 November 1957. p. 16A. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Unik gåva till Svenska akademin" [Unique gift to the Swedish Academy]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 21 December 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Donation". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 21 December 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Assarsson, Per Vilhelm Gustaf". www.svenskagravar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  15. ^ "35 dekorationer på samma bröst" [35 decorations on the same chest]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 4 June 1967. p. 21. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  16. ^ L. P-n (1 September 1972). "Väl belönade" [Well rewarded]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 8. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  17. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 50.
  18. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1942 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1942. p. 48.
  19. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1931 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1931. p. 97.
  20. ^ "Argentinaorden till svenskar" [Argentine Order to Swedes]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 20 February 1953. p. 4A. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Brasilianskt ordensregn" [Brazilian shower of orders]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 May 1947. p. A7. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  22. ^ "Finsk utmärkelse" [Finnish decoration]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 16 May 1948. p. 4A. Retrieved 5 February 2025. ...tilldelats kommendörstecknet av I klass med stora korset av Finlands Vita Ros. [...awarded the Commander's Badge, 1st Class, with the Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland.]
  23. ^ Matikkala, Antti (2017). Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat [The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Edita. p. 245. ISBN 978-951-37-7005-1.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Folke Wennerberg
 Consul/Consul General of Sweden to Leningrad
1931–1935 		Succeeded by
Einar Yttergren
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Peru
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Bolivia
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Colombia
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Ecuador
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Venezuela
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Mexico
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Nicaragua
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Panama
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Costa Rica
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Guatemala
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to El Salvador
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Honduras
1938–1940 		Succeeded by
Herbert Ribbing
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Cuba
1938–1939 		Succeeded by
Erik Wisén
as Chargé d'affaires ad interim
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to the Soviet Union
1940–1944 		Succeeded by
Staffan Söderblom
Civic offices
Preceded by
None
 Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
1944–1953 		Succeeded by
Leif Belfrage

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