The attitude of the American government towards the Finnish problem, which appeared on the international stage after the outbreak of the First World War, was determined by factors going far beyond bilateral contacts. It was directly linked with American war-time and post-war policy towards Russia, Germany and the problem of supplying Europe with food. The Finnish proclamation of independence, the outbreak of the Finnish civil war and, later, the drawing of this country 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, convinced that the future of Finland should be linked with German victory in the World War, showed no desire to activate political contacts between Helsinki and Washington. The reorientation of Finnish policy created by the military defeat of Germany, however, created conditions for the gradual stabilisation of Finnish-American economic and, later, political relations. Improvement in mutual contacts between both states was ultimately crowned by the initiative of American diplomacy which resulted in the recognition of Finland by the Big Five powers during the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.