Evening star., 1939-10-08
Lithuanians Hopes
To Gef WiIno Are
Set Back by Soviet
Labor in Former CopituI
Reported Opposed to
Such Action
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Oct. 7.-Lithuania's
hopes that she would regain her
former capital, Wilno, in return for
concessions she was expected to
make to Soviet Russia received q set
back tonight with reports that WILL
no workers opposed such action.
Soviet broadcasts of reports of the
workers meetings said that speeches
and resolutions demanded annex
alton with Soviet White Russia.
Wilao, historic Lithuanian capital,
was seized in 1920 and added to
Polandi 1t is In the Russian occu-
pied part of the partitioned coun-
try.
Political observers said Lithuania
whose diplomats returned here
after consultations at home-still
might get part of the surrounding
territory, but the tenor of the Will
no report indicated the Soviet had
no idea of turning that city over
to the Baltic state.
May Ask Transit Rights.
Unofficial reports said Lithuania
would be asked to give Russia transit
rights and possibly q port as
naval base. There were uncon-
f1rmed reports also that Lithuania's s
frontier with Germany would be
strengthened.
Soviet sources limited that q form
of convention or a plebiscite might
be called soon in newly won Polish
White Russia and SUkraine ito de-
termine a form Of government
there"
When the Lithuanian delegation
arrived today, presumably to sign
the Soviet-dictated pact, it included
the chief of the army along with
economic and railway experts, in
dicating Russia expects both mill
tary and trade concessions.
1t was learned that v. Krusheff.
secretary of the Communist party
OF the Soviet Ukraine, in a recent
speech said a plebiscite would be
ordered to enable the liberated"
brothers both in the Polish Ukraine
and White Russia to decide whether
they want bourgeois democratic
republic or Communist state"
Finland Next on List"
Finnish quarters declined to dis
cuss a report that Finland's foreign
minister had declined an invitation
to come to Moscow.
CThe foreign Office in Helsinki
said the Finnish government had
not yet acted on the invitation,
One unofficial report said Foreign
Minister Elias Erkko had de-
clined to 60 to Moscow. but that
some other representative might
be sent)
The news of the reported invita-
ton to Finland occasioned no sur
prise in Moscow's foreign circles,
where 1t was anticipated Finland
was next on the list"
Having strengthened her naval
position enormously on the south
ern side of the Gulf of Finland and
the Baltic, Russia is known to want
to complement this by bases on the
northern sides which are under Fin
lands control
1t was reported that Russia wants
a share in the control of the
strategic Aaland Islands and bases
on at least two other fortified Finn
lsh islands in the Gulf Of Finland.
Finland was not expected to give
IN as readily as Estonia and Latyia
Finland was said to be in a stronger
position than either of them. but
observers said her position seemed
hopeless. especially since Germany
is not resisting the Russian thrust
into the Baltic.
Mystery Shrouds Turkish Talks.
An air of mystery still surrounded
the Turkish talks. 1t was unknown
what progress was being made or
the exact nature of the Soviet pro-
| posals.
Pravda. Communist party organ
and the only newspaper published
IN Moscow today, gave prominence
to a Berlin report Of an interview
Foreign Minister Joachim Won Rib
bentrop granted a Japanese news
paperman, underlining Germany's
hope of bringing Russia and Japan
into closer harmony.
The paper at the same time at
tackled the French government S
suppression of the Communist
party. asserting the French people
did not want to fight, but were help
less in the face of the government s
stand.
Pravda's account of Adolf Hitler's
Reichstag speech of yesterday en-
phasized that Germany had only an
economic interest" in the Baltic
states where Russia has been pene-
trating with military and economic
concessions through treaties with
Latvia and Estonia and one immi-
nent with Lithuania.
Hitler's hints that a Polish state
would be created also were empha-
sized.
A Tass (offlcial Soviet news
agency dispatch from Riga said
that Latvia, eager for closer contact
with Russia, would display Soviet
movies and sell Russian newspapers
and books.