Evening star., 1939-12-04
Show Of Sympathy
Held Best Finland
Can GET al Geneva
Allies Declared Unlikely
To Lessen Pressure
On Germany
By PERTINAX.

BY PERTINAx.
PARIS, Dec. 4 (N.AN.A., by
radio) The pact of mutual as
sistance signed by Russian Premier
Molotof and Otto Kuusinen, head
of the Communist puppet govern
ment created on the Russian bor-
der, is generally interpreted as a
sign that no compromise is likely
to prevail, that Joseph Stain and
Molotof would not be content with
q move to achieve the strategic dom
ination of the Gulf of Finland and
of the Article Ocean, but intend to
place the whole country of Fin
land under a red dictatorship at
their beck and call.
If the Russo Finnish. conflict real
ly takes such a turn, the European
war will probably spread to areas
which so far have been left aside,
because Russia, considering that the
victor, whoever he may be, is likely
to turn against her, will seek safety
In the extension of her territorial
domain and, in addition. will strive
harder than ever in order to make
hostilities continue as long as pos
sible through helping Germany re-
sist the Western allies blockade,
while Germany will be inclined to
enlarge her war map" and the
Western allies themselves will be
inclined to seize the opportunity to
act in Southeastern Europe.
Such being the prospects, surprise
was expressed last night at the fact
that the secretary general OF the
League Of Nations had summoned
the Leagues Council to meet Decem-
ber 8 and the Assembly to meet De-
cember II. What is the meaning of
that move and what will be its out
come?
Avenol Had No Choice.
In the first place, 1t must be
borne in mind that Secretary Cen
eral Avenol had no choice left him
but to comply with Finland's re-
quest. The Leagues covenant may
be a shaky structure, but Avenol
would not deny the Helsinki gov
eminent the right to apply for an
urgent convocation of the Council
and the Assembly. How he will
settle the matter with the Swiss
government is a different question.
Switzerland wrested from him last
year, when she officially declared
her intention to be reinstated in
her status OF perpetual neutrality,
that in NJ the
League would refrain from any kind
of action for which any belligerent
power could bring her to account.
But, in that respect, it must be
abserved that the Leagues procedure
in a case where aggression has oc-
CURED can be very slow business
indeed, provided a majority Of the
powers represented in Geneva agree
to make it so, and, in the present
juncture, that will probably be the
case. All odds are that article XVI.
whereby sanctions against an ag-
gressor are provided, will be held in
reserve for a long while, until all
the investigations and attempts by
conciliation under article XIV have
proved futile, which may be relied
upon to absorb several weeks, or
even months.
Now as to the purpose OF Finland's
appeal to Geneva. The Finnish
cabinet cannot reasonably entertain
the least illusion about the possihA-
ity of enlisting the assistace of the
member states. It would be all the
more foolish on It's part to set any
real hope upon the Leagues ma
chinery against an aggressor since
practically during the whole of 1888
the nations belonging to the Oslo
group (and Finland among them
strove to bring about complete ruin
of article XVI, already badly i'm
paired by France and Britain in
1856 when they lacked the nerve
to bring italy to book.
Can Expect Demonstration.
The most that Finland can expect
to achieve, therefore, is to obtain
in the Council and Assembly DEM
onstration of sympathy that after
ward would echo through the whole
world
But will her partners in the Oslo
group. all imbedded in an attitude
of strict neutrality, dare to 60 for
ward, and even in words challenge
Russia, and, at the same time, Ger
many, which could not be entirely
overlooked in the debate? And
would the western powers, which
hitherto have shown extreme cir
cumspection and empiricism in their
treatment of Russia, be willing to
discard that prudence and take
their stand by the principles in
scribed in the Leagues Covenant?
The danger, from the point of view
of France and England, is that the
neutral states should try to find a
way out of the impasse through
supporting motion for the OPEN
ing Of peace negotiations with Adolf
Hitler on the preteXt more or less
implicitly expressed that the Stain-
ian empire, rather than the Hitler
ian empire, deserves to be branded
as common enemy No. /.
The opinion of the French and
British governments is directly op-
posite to that view. They are sure
to act in Geneva accordingly and
ward off everything that might les
sen or jeopardize the pressure they
exert on the German Reich.
1t is interesting to mention that
1t is the Russian delegates turn to
preside at the session of the council
and the initial sitting of the Assem-
bly,. Will that circumstance rouse
the feeling of the delegations and
provoke such a reaction as to pre-
cipitate a formal break of the So
Wet Union with the League? /