Evening star., 1939-12-09
Relations Of Reich
And Soviet Mystery
OF Finnish Situation
Sharp Contrast Is Found
In German Attitude
On War Materials
By WALTER DURANTY.

by Radio) What. might be called
"the northern problem" because 1t
includes Sweden, Norway and Ger
many, as we'll as Russia and Fin
land, looks even more perplexing
from Stockholm than 1t did from
London. At the moment of writing,
it contains precisely the same ele-
ments, because nothing has hap
pened in Finland or elsewhere in
the last three days to make any ma
terial change In the situation.
The first and most important item
remains the mutual relationship OF
Germany and Russia. One eminent
Swedish citizen demonstrated it to
me today. Are they like this?" he
said, and crossed the fingers of both
hands tightly together. Hand in
hand-allies? Or like this?" his
fingers now were only half clasped.
"Or like this?" He closed the fin
gers of both hands against each
other in a sharp gesture Of antago-
nism.
I wonder if any one knows-not
merely in Paris, London or Stock
hahn, but in Moscow and Berlin, too.
Because there seems no reason to
doubt that the Savoia -Marchetti
planes which have just reached Fin
land from Italy did pass across Ger
man railroads. And two days ago a
German war vessel held up Scan
dinavian freighter not far from a
Scandinavian shore and said, III
you have any gasoline or arms for
Finland, we must seize it." The
freighter had none, as it happened,
and was allowed to proceed.
Strange Contrast.
OF course, 1t may be argued that
Germany might have regard for
Italian munitions that it would not
have for Scandinavian, but, just the
same, it is a rather strange contrast.
Then, too, there is the anti-Swed-
ish campaign in the German press,
particularly against Swedish For
eign Minister Sander. who is pre-
sented as the advocate of a strong
Swedish stand on Finland's behalf.
In point of fact, it seems that Sand
ler might we'll have been released
from his post in the near future, but
any cabinet reconstruction" as 1t is
euphemistically termed, would ap-
pear at this juncture like yielding to
German pressure. And the Swedes,
may it be remembered, are very
proud, being free people.
In addition, they are all, to the
last woman and child, passionately
sympathetic with the Firms. and
undoubtedly will strain every nerve
to give them every possible aid and
comfort short of actual military in
tervention. I will even go further
and say that they would do that, too,
if only Russia were involved.
whether Russian bombing planes hit
Stockholm or not. But there is the
question of Germany and that is a
different question.
On the other hand, 1t hardly seems
reasonable that the Germans can be
likely to accept a Russian advance
to the Southwest beyond PeUsamo
to the Norwegian port of Narvik,
which happens to be the outlet for
half Of Sweden's iron ore produc-
ton, which Germany needs for its
business, rather badly at this mo-
ment.
And that brings Norway in. What
will Norway do. or England, for that
matter? Will they all leave it to the
League of Nations and hope that
there is Santa Claus?
Battle May Be Drawn Out.
AS things now stand, however,
there is fair chance that the Firms
and the Russians may provide a
drawnout battle. Because it is al
ready evident that the Russian drive
against Finland is far from having
the same success as the German
thunderbolt in Poland. For once,
old Gen. Winter" has deserted Rus
sia for Finland. Soviet tanks are
begged in the slush and mud which
succeeded the earlier snow. Soviet
bombers are grounded by fog and a
thick. drizzling moisture from a So
foot ceiling"
In spite Of the contradictory COM
muniques, it seems that the Rus
slams have made progress beyond
Petsamo; their main drive in the cen
ter, which aims at cutting through
the narrowest part of Finland to
Uleaborg, on the Gulf of Bothnia,
and has probably progressed some 40
miles of the 800 or so which have to
be covered. In all the unf1ghtable
terrain of Finland, that is the most
unf1ghtable area. There are hills and
dense forests, with no roads suitable
for Russian transports and only an
occasional path to aid the Firms.
Along the coast to Uleaborg, the
Firms have a railroad, while the
Russians are getting always farther
from their communications in a
country that might have been de-
signed by Providence for gallant,
stubborn people to defend their ma
tive land to the last inch.
Meanwhile, the Firms seem to be
holding fairly we'll on their main
defenses in the south. A woman
correspondent of the Dagens N.Y.
heter yesterday gave a graphic de-
scription of the Finnish resistance
at a village called Summa. 20 miles
southeast of Viborg, near the Bibor-
Leningrad highway. 1t is part OF
the Mannerheim Line, and the de-
tenders in blockhouses took a heavy
toll of the Russians, who advanced,
the correspondent declares, in a line.
Tactics Suited to Country
When they opened out, they took
little advantage of cover, running
with their heads down and their
arms across their faces as If to ward
of the bullets. An expected tank
attack failed to materialize, either
because the machines stuck in the
heavy ground or fell foul of huge
IL