[1] He was eight years later transferred to the Foreign Ministry from the position as personal secretary of Prime Ministers Hjalmar Branting and Rickard Sandler.

Günther's main achievement was to defend Sweden's neutrality during the Second World War, which made his country escape the fate of the occupied Norway and the defeated Finland.

Unanimous testimony describes him as a man of unassuming ways, high intelligence and a bohemian personality, with a significant lack of ambition; he made his visits in the office as brief as possible.

Like many other liberal Swedes, he was untouched and rather alienated by Finland's political and cultural development after 1809, which was signified by a high regard for the autocratic Gustavian Constitution of 1772, the fervent anti-Germanic Fennomania and the bloody aftermath of the Civil War.

However, a broad parliamentary majority opposed not only military support of Finland but also other actions that might put Sweden in danger of an invasion by either Nazi Germany or its ally, the Soviet Union.

To overcome the crisis, a National Unity Government was deemed essential, which proved difficult since the Conservative Party, led by Gösta Bagge, supported at least moderately-activist policies for the defence of Finland.

Günther left no memoirs, no diaries, very few personal letters of interest for historians, and actually remarkably few notes and writings from his time as Foreign Minister.

Günther's preferred line was a cautious realpolitik, which was adapted to the very limited options of a small country during a war between great power neighbours.