The Wilmington morning star., 1940-03-09
Firms DENY FIGHT
HALTED ON ISTHMUS
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liipuri, which was Finland's third
city before it became a hollow shell
Of war ruins.
The high command announced
that 1000 more Red army soldiers
had been killed north Of Lake
Ladoga, where the Soviet military
leaders yesterday claimed the cap
ture Of four islands.
The high command communique
said that the Russians had lost
heavily is they attacked all day
yesterday against the northwest
coast of iipuri bay. Fighting ragged
around the capes and islands at
the mouth of the bay until night
fall, but the Firms held their posi-.
tons.
Artillery Destroyed
Eight batteries of artillery which
the Russians moved out on the
frozen surface of the bay to sup
port their attacks were destroyed
by Finishn coastal guns, which al
SO blasted numerous enemy tanks,
the communique declared.
1t said the Finnish air force had
bombed and machine-gunned "close-
packed enemy units, transport We
hicle, tank and troop columns and
artillery batteries crowded on the
islands and ice Of iipuri bay"
Between iipuri and the ouksi
river the Russians failed in several
local attacks in which they lost
seven tanks and two armored cars.
Still farther west on the Karelian
isthmus, the Films said, they re.
pulsed an attempted crossing of the
Vuoksi river, while in the vicinity
of Paakola the bodies of 400 Rus
slams killed in fighting the previous
day were counted in front of the
Finnish lines.
These, however, were the devel-
opments which kept hope for peace
alive:
1. The secret trip to Berlin of
Finland's venerable former presi-
dent, Per Evind Svinhufvud, which
may make history repeat itself. 1t
was Svinhufvud who, in the midst
Of Finland's bitter civil war of
1917-1S between "Reds" and
Whites" successfully pleaded with
the German kaiser for military
Intervention which drove the boil
shevists back across the Russian
border. Now Svinhufvud may see
Hitler, new friend of Joseph Sta
lin.
2. Official announcement in Ber-
lin that Foreign Minister Joachim
Won Ribbentrop is going to Italy
tomorrow to see Benito Mussolini.
The Swedish initiative effort for
rlediation between Russia and Fin
land is expected to be a prime
topic. Although Berlin officials de-
MED reports that Won Ribbentrop
had seer Svinhufvud, they were
evasive about the prospect he
might confer with Hitler tonight or
tomorrow. Moreover, it was known
the Finnish minister, Aarne Wuori-
maa, had been at the Berlin for
eign office this evening, and there
were reports SvinhEfvud was with
him.
8. Predictions in informed London
sources that the United States
might eventually be nominated as
mediator between Russia and
Finland because she is the lone
nation both parties trust" These
predictions, while unofficial, were
accompanied by authoritative dec
larations in both Paris and Lon
don that the Allies will continue
to help Finland if she decides to
fight until the bitter end" This
help so far, it was stated in Paris,
includes 405 planes, GIG cannon
and many other ornaments and
Finland now is appealing for tech
nicians to supervise its Use Some
British volunteers also have reach
ed Finland. In Washington, Presi-
dent Roosevelt said merely that
no n had asked the United States
to mediate the northern conflict.
4. Reports that the final decision
for Finland on peace or a finish
fight rests now with Field Mar
shall Baron Carl Gustaf Manner
helm, the Finnish supreme COM
mander-who, in 1918, fought off
the Russian Reds while SWIM
hufvud obtained German troops.
This decision, the Oslo newspaper
Tidens Tegn reported, rests with
the chances Mannerheim finds
of help from abroad. Some reports
said Mannerheim now was in
Stockholm. Sweden has fatty re-
fused direct military aid to Fin
land.
5. Published reports quoting Fin
nish Foreign Minister Vaino Tam
ner that "the Finnish government
has been in contact with a 60
between for the Soviet Union and
this contact has not been broken"
There also were unconfirmed re-
ports that the Finnish diplomat
j. K. Paasikivi had flown, also, to
Berlin, and that Marshal VASTLY
Butcher, former Soviet Far East
ern commander, was expected in
Stockholm.