Evening star., 1939-10-07
Scandinavia Fears
Expansion Policy
OF Soviet Russia
Apprehensicns Of Swedes.
Firms and Norweeions
Reused by Moscow
BY NEGLEY FARSON.


COPENHAGEN, Oct. 7 (N.A.NA).
The Scandinavian countries are
carefully scrutinizing Adolf Hitlers
peace proposals"
Scandinavian realisks ask, What
about Soviet Russia?"
Soviet Russia mas abandoned the
policy of no annexation of territory
and has resumed the policy Of I'm
perial Russia. Will the occupation
of Bessarabia come next? Will this
encourage Hungary to try to fulfill
Its desire to regain lost Transyl-
vania? Will Bulgaria then try to
seize the Dobruja region? What will
be the fate then of the Balkan bloc
that Russia has been trying to build
responsive to her influence?
The dramatic temperance Of
Russia as a major power in the
Baltic Sea has confronted Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania with the
prospect Of becoming vassal states.
It revives the ancient fears of the
SWedes and the Finns-the latter
with good reason-of Russian ex-
pansion westward. 1t revives the
historic apprehension of Norway
that Russia may try to fulfill the
old plan to grab an Atlantic ice
free port on Norway's extreme
northern coast, Finally, it confronts
Germany with a situation where
the Baltic no longer can be consid-
cred German lake.
Swedes Armed Against Russia.
Long before this war, the svedes
built lateral northern railways an
average OF 40 miles inland from the
Baltic Coast to protect their country
from Russian invasion. The stronp-
est fortress in Sweden is Boden.
whose walls of natural stone 20 feet
thick oppose Russian invasion by
way Of Finland.
Ihe most hysterical jubilation
during the Kerensky revolution was
on the day when Finnish sailors
tore down the Russian eagles in the
main square Of Helsingfors. The
most stirring scene this corresponds
ent witnessed during the entire Rus.
sian revolution was this Finnish
frenzy Of patriotism when thew
fnally believed themselves free from
the Russian yoke.
Old fears have now been reawak.
ened. Finland and the other Baltic
states again find themselves facing
TWO relentless, cynical powers
notwithstanding Soviet Russia
and Hitler's Germany. There is now
an entirely different situation. how.
ever, as a result of the rise of ma.
.lonal socialism. In the World War,
sweden at least was German.
minded. Today, all four Scandi.
navlan states are unmistakably sun.
porting the policy of the western
democracies, which is favorable tn
the existence Of small independent
states, against the policy of Nan
Germany, which has DESTROYED the
independence of Austria, Czecho.
Slovakia and Poland.
Sweden Opposes Germany.
Sweden, therefore, despite its An.
clent ties with Germany, is now
the strongest Scandinavian state in
opposition to German domination
and unrestricted submarine war.
fare. A Swedish airplane recently
fired at a German ship which was
molesting a neutral ship in Swedish
waters. The Firms have announced
repeatedly that they will refuse all
friendly offers of protection" from
any European power, despite the
menace from Soviet Russia.
So great, however, is the ingrained
Swedish and Finnish fear and de.
testation of Russian domination
that, if they were ever faced with
a final choice, they would definitely
/ Spurn the Soviets and cast them.
selves within the German orbit.
Norway, owing to its geographic
cal location and protecting range
Of mountains. does not feel so TN
mediately endangered, except in re-
gard to Russia's ambition to obtain
an Atlantic port in Northern Nor
way.
Denmark, which is practically
geographical appendix of Germany.
has no choice. Since 1870 Dem
marks foreign policy has been to
be the perfect neutralpossibly to
have its neutrality guaranteed and
to become a northern Switzerland.
Any attempt by any great power to
go to the help of Denmark would
merely turn its 500 peaceful islands
into bloody battleflelds. Denmark
has no alternative except persistent
neutrality and 1t will allow nothing
whatever to place it in the position
of offending Germany.
Scandinavian observers express
curiosity as to whether Josef Stain
may be pursuing the policy OF
Lenin toward Germany-to encour-
age war, military deadlock, exhaus-
ton and revolution.