Evening star., 1939-10-15
Russia Seen Seeking Finland
As Key to Sweden and Norway
Rich Groneesbere Iron Mines and Port
Of Novik Believed Soviet's Eventual Goal
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

BY BLAIR BOLLES.
Russia covets Finland only as a
strategic center from which to wiring
territory from Sweden and Norway,
according to the informed view
which prevails here among diplo-
mats. They are now wondering
what effect the firm Finnish stand
and the Scandinavian conference
set for Wednesday will have on the
Soviet's Baltic diplomacy. Estonia.
Latvia and Lithuania acceded to the
force Of that diplomacy, but Fin
land, which has only the slightest
ethnic and commercial association
with Russia, is ready to resist with
military opposition.
Although it is a question whether
Russia will go further at this time
in testing Finnish military opposi-
ton, her present objectives are said
to be the immensely rich Oranges
berg iron mines in far Northern
Sweden above the Gulf of Bothnia,
and the Norwegian port of Narvik,
facing the Atlantic and ice-free
most of the year round
The only approach Russia can
make to Sweden and Norway is
through Finnish territory. The
Aaland Islands. which belong to
Finland and which Russia would
like as an air base. are just a little
more than 100 miles from Stock
holm, the Swedish capital.
Threat to Peninsula.
The Russian threat to the Scan
dinavian peninsula itself is the chief
motive behind the conference of
Northern European countries called
by King Gustaf v of Sweden.
Sweden has an historic distaste for
Russia, anyway, and in the last
three years, when Germany was
pursuing an anti-Soviet policy, NaI
secret agents operated in Sweden to
heighten the anti Russian feeling
there.
AS recently as 1897 Field Marshal
Goering was urging the Swedes to
add to their army in order to pre-
sent a more effective military front
against Russia. In the present pre-
dicament, of course. the SYedes ex-
pect no further help or helpful ad-
vice from Germany.
The work of the German special
agents in Sweden contributed at the
same time to suspicion of and
dislike for Germany. During the
World War Sweden was rather pro-
German in its sympathies, because
Sweden took much of its culture
from Germany. Immediately after
the Russian revolution, which
brought Finland its freedom, Ger
many was liked by Finland to such
an extent that the Firms considered
inviting a German prince to be their
King. In the intervening years the
Firms and Swedes, with the Nor
wegians and the Danes, have come
to be aloof from Germany, and to
feel an attachment for Great Brit
ain. The illiberal Nazi government
has led the anti-German sentiment
Germany Took Cities.
Denmark has had little friendly
feeling for Germany since 1864, when
Prussian armies, pursuing the policy
set by Bismarck, took Schleswig and
Holstein from Denmark. Norway,
remote from both Germany and
Russia, faces the open Atlantic and
conducts large trade with the Brit
ish Isles. Norway, Sweden and Dem
mark during the World War man.
aged to preserve a complete neu-
trality, although Scandinavian ship
ping suffered heavily from the sea
warfare. Their problem in that war
concerned only the preservation of
their neutrality. Today they face
the more disturbing prospect Of hav-
ing to preserve their national in
tegrity.
Finland, holding the key at the
Baltic situation, was a grand duchy
OF Russia, with rather thorough
going autonomy, from 1909 until De-
cember s, 1917. BY the latter date
Russia had been taken out of the
World War and the, Bolshevik rev.
olution had occurred. Finland's
House of Representatives, which was
set up in the grand duchy in 1906,
proclaimed the country an independ-
ent republic, and such it has been
ever since. Red attempts at rev.
olution were put down with the
help Of Germany.
The Firms belonged to Sweden
before 1909, but today their coun-
try shows little Swedish or Russian
evidence. Except In the Aaland Is
lands and along the Swedish
Finnish border north of the Gulf
Of Bothnia, the country has no
Swedish speaking peoples. The
Russian-speaking peoples are neg
ligible. The religion Of about SO
per cent Of the people Is Lutheran.
with no Russian Orthodox influence.
It's trade is chiefly with Great
Britain. Even Brazil sells her more
goods than Russia, and even to
Argentina she exports more.
Little Use for Exports.
Timber and pulp and paper are
Finland's great exports. They are
goods Of which Russia has plenty
herself. The economy and COM
merce Of Finland are considered
evidence that, exeept for strategic