Evening star., 1939-12-01
Nations Rights
To SeIf-RuIe
Held |mperi|ed
Americans Leaving
HeIsinki by Auto,
Legations Report
By JOHN e. HENRY

President Roosevelt returned q
bitter indictment against Soviet
aggression today in a formal state
ment describing Russian naval and
military bombings within Finnish
territory as "wanton disregard for
law"
Such deliberate resort to force. he
added, makes insecure the in
dependent existence of small nations
in every continent and jeopardizes
the rights Of mankind to self.
government"
Soviet invasion of the small Baltic
republic has been a profound
shock" the Chief Executive read
gravely from his statement TO a
press conference, and will be
unanimously condemned by the
peace loving peoples of the world.
At the very moment of Mr.. Roose-
velt' S excoriation of Russian tactics,
the State Department was receiving
from its legation in Helsinki reports
that the Finnish capital was being
evacuated by every means Of trans
portation as fires started by Soviet
bombs ragged throughout the city.
Bombing casualties, the reports said,
included children, but no known
American citizen or members of the
legation staff. Ali Americans were
being taken out of the city by auto
mobiles, it was reported,
No Reply to Appeal.
With no answer received to his
plea of last night that there be
no recourse to the "jnhuman bar
barism' of aerial warfare on civilian
populations, Mr.. Roosevelt's care
fully -worded statement of today
follows in full:
The news of the Soviet naval and
military bombings within Finnish
territory has come as a profound
shock to the Government and people
of the United States. Despite efforts
made to solve the dispute by peace
ful methods to which no reasonable
objection could be offered, one power
has chosen to resort to force of arms.
1t is tragic to see the policy of force
spreading, and to realize that wan
ton disregard for law is still on the
march.
"All peace-loving peoples in those
nations that are still hoping for the
continuance of relations throughout
the world on the basis of law and
order will unanimously condemn
this new resort to military force as
the arbiter Of international differ
ences.
Rights Held in Jeopardy.
To the great misfortune of the
world. the present trend to force
makes insecure the independent ex-
istence of small nations in every
continent and jeopardizes the rights
OF mankind to government. The
| people and government of Finland
I have a long, honorable and wholly
peaceful record which has won for
them the respect and warm regard
OF the people and Government Of
the United States"
Explaining that the Government
still feels itself without sufficient ac-
curate and detailed information on
developments in the Baltic area, the
President said he had no comment
to make at this time on the pos
sibility of invoking the Neutrality
Act with respect to Finland and
Russia. He also declined to discuss
the possibility of severing diplo.
matte relations with Russia, or the
possibility of calling Ambassador
Laurence A. Steinhardt home from
Moscow for consultation.
Intermittent telephone connec-
tions have been maintained between
Washington and Helsinki by way Of
EStonia or Sweden the President
said. but these are frequently inter-
rupted
Secretary Hull made similar
complaint of communication diff
culties at his press conference.
May Change Plans.
Asked if the moral embargo" ap-
piled against shipment of bombing
planes to Japan might be invoked
against Russia, Mr. Roosevelt re-
minded his conference that the
Government is still awaiting a reply
from Moscow on last nights plea
for restricted aerial warfare. Neither
the Russian nor Finnish govern
ments had made answer up to noon
today.
Developments in the Baltic crisis
may force change in his week end
plans, the President said, preventing
tSee ROOSEVELT, Page AID