Evening star., 1939-11-28
Russia
Continued From First Page)

(COntlnueQ from F1TSt fdgeJ
held what was essential to the COM
pletion of the Sovlet's new expan-
sion through the Baltic countries.
Likewise, Finland offers the Boil
sheviks both a club over Scandinavia
as whole and a jumping-off place.
With a Finnish "protectorate" IN
their hands, the Soviets would be
two jumps ahead of Nazi Germany
in any possible takeoff to control
or conquer Sweden and Norway.
In a word, it is impossible to
escape the conclusion that Moscow's
interest in Finland itself remains
quite secondary to the Soviet's anx-
iety to squeeze Germany out of all
the Baltic, and to hold simultane-
ously a maximum of beverages OF
power upon the Scandinavian coun-
tries. If the Berlin Moscow pact of
friendship and non-aggression"
looks a phoney from numerous an
giles, certainly it rings excessively
hollow up in this northern corner
where Communist Russia has its
only borders with genuine, workable
democracy. Stain has put the
screws on the Films. more than any
other reason, because he fears an
ultimate war with Hitler's Reich
or a conflict with the victorious
western and capitalistic nations, if
they should overthrow Nazi-ism.
But, first of all, the Kremlin's ex-
pansion policy in the Baltic and
Finland must be interpreted as "life
insurance" against possible force
full settlement with Germany.
Nazis, Not Firms, Feared.
This has already been demon
strated by the strategic naval bases,
islands and airf1elds which the Rus
slams have taken over in Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania. Thus they are
able to control all of the upper
Baltic Sea: and, in event OF war
with Germany, Soviet forces could
attack East Prussia simultaneously
from the north and on the south.
from what was formerly Northeast
ern Poland. But Moscow's excuse
for trying to push the Finnish from
tier back from the Karelian 18TH
mus is equally transparent. Mos
COW has described this narrow 18TH
mus as a dagger pointed at Lenin-
grad-as if 100000 mobilizable Films
were likely to attack suddenly a
standing Red Army of from 10000
900 to 13,000 900 soldiers In reality che
Kremlin breads what Nazi divisions
and air squadrons might be able to
do if they were ever granted foot
hold in Finland at the time of a
final totalitarian day of reckoning.
Upon examination here in Fin
land this seems clearly to be the
major preoccupation behind the
Soviet's Baltic-Scandinavian expan-
sion policy. Linked to it, of course,
is the appreciation of propaganda
activities and possibilities in Sweden
and Norway-and long term prep
aration for the revolutionary era
which may very well follow the
present western war. Equally in
volved in it is an obvious Russian
plan to get in a position where Hit
ler's military fate will rest very
largely in the hands of Stain.
This factor cannot be ignored in
regard to Moscow's ruthless pres
sure upon Finland. For should the
Soviets control Hango and most of
Finland, however they might seek
to screen the control. they would be
able to move into the Aaland Islands
at any moment. Then Stockholm
would be at the mercy of Red
bombers-and Nazi Germany's vital
supplies of 100000 or 1000, 900 tons
of Swedish iron ore per year could
be cut off with diabolical finality.
If Stain then chose to cut off all
iron ore shipments to the Reich
and end Russia's supplies of raw
materials to Germany, the Nazis'
military juggernaut could be swiftly
strangled. In this fashion the
Kremlin could exact fatal conces-
sions from Berlin-all kinds of con-
cessions, possibly even to compell-
ing Hitler to accept either certain
defeat or outright communism. In