Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-12-14
International
News Review
BY GEORG sTRANDvOLD

tne purpose or considering FINLAND S
charge that Soviet Russia had vio-
lated international law as well as the
League covenant by attacking Fin
nish territory, thus starting an I'M
provOked-and undeclared-War Fin
land did not ask that the League
apply economic or other sanctions to
the aggreSSor, nor did it demand that
Russia be expelled from the League,
but it simply wanted something done,
one way or another. Some South
American republics, headed by Uru-
quay and Argentine, demanded the
expulsion of Russia from the League
China, however, made it clear that
she would not vote for expulsion
Russia, as is well known, has been
helping China in many practical ways
since the outbreak of the current
Chinese-Japanese war-and added
made the way clear for the law-re-
quired unanimous decision to expel
Up to Assembly.
The Council didn't do much in re-
gard to this particular matter-mere-
ly referred it to the League Assem-
bly, which met on Monday of this
week, and which will probably still
be in session when these lines are
read
There was an impression that the
Assembly-since the opening day
headed by c. j. Hambro of Norway
succeeding canon DeValera of the
Irish free state of Fire as president
of the League-Would confine itself
to a mere condemnatory gesture;
it looked at the beginning of the
League meeting as though nobody
with real influence favored sane
tons or expulsion, so Russia may
merely be told that it behaved like
very naughty boy. This is about
all the League, under present cir
cumStanceS, can do.
Finnish Defense.
In the meantime, the Firms are
fighting desperately to defend their
country against the Russian attack
and it seems that-so far-they are
quite successful; they have repulsed
wave after wave of Russians; they
have killed lot of them; they have
brought down scores of Russian air.
planes; they have destroyed between
100 and $50 Russian tanks, and they
still-at the moment of Writing--are
preserving their Mannerheim line in
Karelia-their military life-line-in-
oh0xya no DIR
Gle violent fighting goes on about the
possession of the town of Petsamo,
and at latest accounts the Firms again
seemed to have the best of it.
There is general idea that the
Russian soldiers are poor aimerS,
poorly fed, ill-equipped with clothing,
footwear and arms; added to these
handicaps is the factor that they are
fighting in a lake-ribbed country
where the temperature is exceedingly
harsh, and the soil difficult to ira
verse for any but people like the
Firms. Then too, the Russians are
fighting because they are ordered to
fight. The Firms fight for their own
Individual homes, for their father
land, and that, evidently, has a lot
to do with the morale of fighting
army.
Of course, the possibility exists
that Finland will-ultimately-be
crushed unless help comes.
Foreign Aid.
Some help already is arriving.
Plenty of money, food and clothing
comes from friendly countries-like
the United States and the Scandinav-
ian states; Italy and England are
sending airplanes, and Germany
Germany of all countries!-is reported
to have sold rifles to the Finns-al-
though the Germans are, at least
ostensibly, friends of the Russians.
In this country the president has
instructed the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation to open 10 million dol
lars worth of credits for Finnish pur-
chases here, and former President
Herbert Hoover is heading relief
organization to bring help to the Fin
nish refugees.
Scandinavia Worried.
Hundreds of dispatches from
Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm in
dictate that the Scandinavian states
are pretty seriously worried about
the situation. Sweden and Norway
fear that Russia may try to violate
their neutrality, and Denmark has
been told by Germany that it had
better understand that the very
strictest form of neutrality is its best
protection.
The Deutsche Nachrichten Bureau
official press agency of the Ger
man government-has reminded all
three Scandinavian countries that in
their utterances, official and unof-
fetal. very little friendship has been
shown the Germans whereas there
has been a distinct pro-British trend;
in that connection the Northern ma
tons were asked to look at what's
happening in Finland, and the impli
cation was that something similar
might happen in Scandinavia.
Peace RumOrs.
The German-Russian alignment
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