Per Vilhelm Gustaf Assarsson (22 April 1889 – 11 October 1974) was a Swedish diplomat. Assarsson was born in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, 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 Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. 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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He became a resident envoy to Peru in 1935, accredited to several Latin American countries, and later served in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he was involved in trade negotiations with the Soviet Union. In 1943, Assarsson was declared ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

'' 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 Arvfurstens palats (Palace of the Hereditary Prince) is a palace located at Gustav Adolfs torg, Stockholm, Gustav Adolfs Torg in central Stockholm. Designed by Erik Palmstedt, the palace was originally the private residence of Princess Princess So ...

, 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 Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

es. In 1963, he published his memoir, ''In the Shadow of Stalin'', recounting his experiences as Sweden's envoy in Moscow.

Early life

Assarsson was born on 22 April 1889, in in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sweden, the son of Professor (1838–1894) and his wife, Gustava "Gusten" Flensburg (1867–1964). His maternal grandfather was Bishop , and his brother was the Catholic priest David Assarsson. He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in 1907 and earned a Candidate of Law degree in 1911. From 1911 to 1915, he served as a court clerk in the , and from 1914 to 1915, he was acting district judge (''domhavare'') in the same jurisdiction.

Career

Diplomatic career

Assarsson became an attaché at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1916, serving in

and

the same year. 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. In 1923, Assarsson was appointed legation counsellor in

, and in 1929, he became ''chargé d'affaires'' in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. He later served as legation counsellor in

(1930) and consul in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(1931), receiving the title of consul general in 1933. 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

where he served as a delegate in Swedish-Soviet trade treaty negotiations that same year. During the early years of World War II, he experienced the conflict firsthand and participated in the diplomatic corps' evacuation to Kuybyshev. On 17 December 1943, Assarsson was declared ''

''. The official reason given was that the Swedish military attaché, Captain , 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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. 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 Intourist (, a contraction of , "foreign tourist" also Goskomturist ()) was a Soviet Union, Soviet then Russian tour operator, headquartered in Moscow. It was founded on April 12, 1929, and served as the primary travel agency for foreign tour ...

in Stockholm, who had been exposed as the leader of a Soviet spy ring. The Soviet Foreign Minister,

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (; – 8 November 1986) was a Soviet politician, diplomat, and revolutionary who was a leading figure in the government of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1950s, as one of Joseph Stalin's closest allies. ...

, had personally urged Assarsson, on at least three occasions to immediately release Sidorenko, whom the Soviets claimed was being tortured at Långholmen Prison and fed pig food. When the Swedish government repeatedly refused to comply with Soviet demands, Assarsson and his military attaché were expelled from Moscow in December 1943. The Swedish government then quietly began preparations for Sidorenko's release. A clemency request was submitted to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, which rejected it on 14 January 1944. However, the Swedish government had already prepared the pardon, scheduled for March. This revealed a disconnect between Sweden's political and judicial authorities. Moscow lost patience. On 22 February, bombs fell over Stockholm and Strängnäs. Three days later, Sidorenko was pardoned. He and his wife were swiftly and discreetly flown out of Sweden.

Later work

During his tenure as deputy state secretary for foreign affairs, Assarsson played a leading and inspirational role in the extensive restoration of the

—the headquarters of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs—returning it to its original grandeur. He retired in 1955, having left his position in 1953, at which point he was succeeded by . In April 1954, Assarsson was newly elected to the board of B.A. Hjorth & Co. He also served as a board member of the Tessin Society (''Tessinsällskapet'') until 1959, as well as AB Bacho and Contactor Co. In November 1957, Assarsson, together with Rear Admiral

Einar Blidberg Vice Admiral Carl Einar Blidberg (20 September 1906 – 21 March 1993) was a Swedish Navy officer. Blidberg served as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1957 to 1961, Commander-in-Chief of the Coastal Fleet from 1962 to 1966, and as commanding office ...

, 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 Rädda Barnen. The committee had been formed on the initiative of the Swedish-Spanish Society (''Svensk-spanska sällskapet'') in Stockholm.

Personal life

Assarsson owned on southern

Djurgården Djurgården ( or ) or, more officially, , is an island in central Stockholm, Sweden. Djurgården is home to historical buildings and monuments, museums, galleries, the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum Skansen, the small resident ...

in Stockholm from 1944. In 1954, he donated it to the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

, intending for it to serve as an honorary residence for the Academy's Permanent Secretary or another member. 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

es—27 in total. In 1963, he published his memoir, ''In the Shadow of Stalin'', in which he recounted his experiences as Sweden's envoy in

from 1940 to 1944. Assarsson's literary tastes were primarily focused on classic literature, with

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

and

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...

among his favorite authors.

Death

Assarsson died on 11 October 1974 in Oscar Parish in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden. He was interred on 19 November 1975 at

Galärvarvskyrkogården Galärvarvskyrkogården (literally Galley Shipyard Cemetery) is a cemetery on the island of Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It has about 1,300 burial sites and an area of approximately 0.9 hectares. History Galärvarvskyrkogården in Djurgår ...

in Stockholm.

Awards and decorations

In 1963, it was reported that Assarsson held the Swedish record for the highest number of Grand Crosses—27 in total. In 1967, according to the ''Ordenskalender'', he was reported to be the second most decorated Swede, with 29 distinctions, ranking just behind Envoy , who held 35. By 1972, it was reported that Assarsson had 29 distinctions, including 21 Grand Crosses.

Sweden

* Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(6 June 1945) * Commander 1st Class of the

(5 June 1937) * Knight of the

(1926)

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(19 February 1953) * BEL Order of Leopold II - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgiu ...

BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Southern Cross The National Order of the Southern Cross () is a Brazilian Orders, decorations, and medals of Brazil, order of chivalry founded by List of monarchs of Brazil, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate ...

(May 1947) * CHL Order of Merit of Chile - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

ETH Order of Menelik II - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the Order of Menelik II * FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(14 May 1948) * FIN Order of the Lion of Finland 1Class BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

(1945) * Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Star * GRE_Order_of_the_Phoenix_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix * GRE_Order_of_George_I_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of George I The Royal Order of George I () is a Greek Order (distinction), order instituted by King Constantine I of Greece, Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek royal fami ...

Grand Cross of the Order of Brilliant Star * MEX Order of the Aztec Eagle 1Class BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...

Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Knight Grand Cross

Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

PER Order of the Sun of Peru - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

* 1st Class of the Order of the Crown of Siam * ESP Isabella Catholic Order GC

Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

BOL Order of Condor of the Andes - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the

Order of the Condor of the Andes The Order of the Condor of the Andes () is a state decoration of the Plurinational State of Bolivia instituted on 12 April 1925. The Order is awarded for exceptional merit, either civil or military, shown by Bolivians or foreign nationals. The ...

Grand Officer of the Order of Boyacá * Grand Officer of the

Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes The Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes is a decoration of the Republic of Cuba. It is named in honor of Cuban military commander and independence leader Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (1819–1874). 1926–1978 With the name of the Carlos Manuel ...

Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* Grand Officer of the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

VEN Order of the Liberator - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the Order of the Liberator * BEL Kroonorde Officier BAR

Officer of the Order of the Crown * Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Bibliography

References