Swedish American Relations, A "Perfect Balance" of Mutual Benefit This summer will be special for Swedish-Americans, because we are marking a couple of important anniversaries. It is the 200th anniversary of the birth of inventor John Ericsson, who made such impact on American history. There are many events scheduled this summer, including several re-enactments of the battle of the Monitor and Merrimac. Ericsson has become a symbol of the Swedish-American relationship for a number of reasons. His journey from Värmland to America mirrored the journey of so many Swedes. It is an understatement to say that he "made good" in America. John Ericsson was a genius at engineering and an excellent entrepreneur. Just as America looked to a Swedish inventor 142 years ago, both American and Swedish inventors, researchers, entrepreneurs and businessmen look across the Atlantic today for innovative solutions and new opportunities. The other important date in the relationship between Sweden and America is the 220th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Sweden and the new nation of the United States of America in 1783. King Gustavus III and Benjamin Franklin, who was the American Ambassador to Sweden, but who resided in Paris, signed the treaty. The treaty was signed five months before the signing of the Treaty of Paris that officially ended hostilities between the colonies and England. Thus, Sweden became the third country to sign a trade treaty with America after France and the Netherlands, though the French and Dutch had supported America's war of independence against England. It is no wonder that when General George Washington met with his commanders at the end of the war at Fraunces Tavern, he made 13 toasts and the fourth was to the King of Sweden. Sweden had been neutral during our revolutionary war, but Gustavus III was impressed with the ideas of the Enlightenment and sympathized with the cause of the American colonies. He even suggested in a letter once that he might want to join the American rebels. As it was, several hundred Swedish officers, fighting with French and Dutch forces, did participate in America's War of Independence and many distinguished themselves and were decorated by General Washington. Yet the King's desire to sign a treaty rested on more than ideals. There were practical matters to consider. England refused to accept the generally accepted international law that free ships carried free cargo. The export of timber, tar and iron was very important to Sweden and it greatly increased its trade with America during the war. Gustavus even tried to mediate between the colonies and England, but failed in that attempt. After that, a treaty became all the more important for commerce. Three weeks after the signing of the treaty, Sweden appointed its first Consul in Boston. In like manner, George Washington appointed America's first Consul to Sweden in 1797, and he was the first American Consul in Northern Europe. He took up residence in the port city of Gothenburg. The United States was unsuccessful in securing treaties with other nations, because they seemed to believe that the new nation would fail and soon cease to exist. It appears that Sweden had a better sense of America's destiny. This brief history reminds us of our past and illustrates that the fundamentals of the relationship between the United States and Sweden remain extraordinarily constant. The U.S. continues to be Sweden's largest export customer, and the U.S. is the largest non-European exporter into Sweden. When the American Congress ratified the treaty with Sweden in the summer of 1783, it spoke in its resolution of the treaty's "perfect balance" and of the mutual advantage for both parties. That is the key to an open and free trading system and for 220 years the United States and Sweden have both benefited from our economic relationship. At a time when we all read articles about the strains in relations between the United States and Europe and criticism of American policy, it is easy to forget that America's relationship with Europe and America's relationship with Sweden are both broad and deep and that storms on the surface do little to disturb the network of ties that bind us together. In recent months, we have had ongoing conversations with Swedish officials about the twin tasks of rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq. Given Sweden's long experience in humanitarian work, we welcome Sweden as a partner in these difficult tasks. We understand that the rebuilding of these two countries will be an immense undertaking and we welcome as many partners as possible. We also value Sweden as a partner in the war on terror. Though tremendous progress that has been made, that there is still much work to be done. The coalition of nations that are fighting terrorism is one of the largest in history. The United States is reaching out to its many partners to try to strengthen that cooperation. Recently, members of the FBI held a seminar with Swedish law enforcement officials here in Stockholm to study computer crime, including threats of cyber-terrorism. We also work with Sweden in the fight against AIDS, TB and other health threats. This year, President Bush asked the Congress for $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS. This spring, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson visited Stockholm to discuss with his Swedish counterparts ways to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in his capacity as Chairman of the Global Fund. Sweden represents the interests of a number of nations on the Fund's board. This gives one some idea of the many things that we continue to do together every day. As Ambassador, I try to make sure that relations between our two countries continue to be "perfectly balanced" and mutually advantageous. - Adapted from remarks by Ambassador Heimbold to the American Club of Sweden on 22 May 2003. © 2006, Swedish Bulletin. All rights reserved