Evening star., 1939-11-30
President Talks
With Hull on
Finnish Crisis
Neutrality Acts
Convocotion Becomes
Immediate Possibility
BY JOHN C. HENRY.

Gravely disturbed at the reported
Outbreak of war between Soviet
Russia and Finland, President
Roosevelt conferred with Secretary
of State Hull Immediately on his
return to Washington today and
scheduled the Secretary for second
consultation late today.
Although the State Department
had been informed that the Finnish
government welcomed yesterdays
proffer of the good Offices" of this
government in any peace efforts, an
implied rejection of the proposal
from Moscow left slight opening for
further advances from here.
Invocation of the Neutrality Act
became more immediate possibility
as actual hostilities in the Baltic
area presaged the finding of for
mai state of war. Despite an Ex-
change Telegraph dispatch from
Helslnkl early today that the Fin
nlsh government already had issued
such formal declaration, Hjalmar
Procope, Finnish Minister to the
United States, denied that this had
taken place.
Sees Moffat and Hull.
Conferring first with J. Pierrepont
MoHat, head of the Division of
European Affairs, and later with
Secretary Hull, Mr.. Procope told re-
porters this government had de-
clared state of siege" comparable
to martial law and mobilizing all
resources for defensive purposes.
In frequent telephone communi-
cations with Secretary Hull yester-
DAY before the latters declaration
OF TINS Governments willingness to
extend its good Offices" President
Roosevelt. returning from Thanks
giving holiday visit to Warm
Springs. Ga, was met at Union Sta
ton this morning by the State De.
partment head, Undersecretary OF
State Sumner Welles and Assistant
Secretary Of War Louis johnson.
Mr.. Hull and Mr.. Welles rode to
the White House with the President
and conferred with him briefly there.
only few minutes later, the State
Department was informed by HF.
Arthur Schoenfeld, American Minis
Ter 10 finland. that he had delivered
the good Offices message to Elias
Erkko, Finnish foreign minister. at
1920 am, Helsinki time.
Would Welcome Move.
The Finnish foreign minister said
his government would welcome the
exercise of this country's good Offices
to put an end to the Russian attack,
especially as the Finnish govern
ment now had no communication
directly with the Soviet government,
Mr.. Schoenfeld reported.
The American charge d'affaires at
Moscow, Walter c. Thurston, report
ed that he delivered Secretary Hull's
statement to the Soviet vice COM
mlsSar of foreign affairs at 12:45
am. Moscow time. He said the vice
commissar remarked that in his
opinion there is no occasion for the
use OF good Offices Beyond this,
the vice commissar made no COM
ment. Mr.. Thurston reported, but
presumably he would deliver the
statement to higher Soviet officials
promptly.
Mr.. Schoenfeld reported that the
Finnish foreign minister told him
that no attack had been made from
the Finnish side against Russia any,
where, but that the Russians had
begun artillery bombardment at 7
am. by land and sea at several
points.
Told of Bombing.
The Finnish minister said the
bombardments were near Teriioki
and the Kuokkala district as well as
north of Lake Ladoga, where the
Russians crossed the frontier. The
Russians also occupied the Finnish
part of Fishermen's Peninsula, Pet
samo, and seized Finnish frontier
guards on the northern boundary,
Mr.. Schoenfeld was told. He also
was told of the dropping of five
bombs OH the Helinski Airport.
In addition to receiving constant
advices from the department on
immediate developments. President
Roosevelt expected additional back
ground information on the Euro
See STATE DEPARTMENT, Pg. A-4.