Evening star., 1940-03-17

ON the bleak plains and the marshes Of
Finland q deadly battle was fought
Tor 1o4 days. It was battle between
the troops Of Finland's Field Marshal
Mannerheim and Russia's Gen. Stern.
But the war wasn't fought between
Russia and Finland. It was fought be-
tween Great Britain and Germany, with
Russian and Finnish soldiers. It is not
Mannerheim who has been defeated,
but Chamberlain. 1t wasn't Stern who
won, but Won Ribbentrop.
Defeat of Finland was defeat for
the allies. The victory for Russia was
victory for the Reich For the first
time IN the history of Europe Germany
has borrowed page from the British
political strategy of allowing other ma
tions to fight her battles for her, and
she has proved fully successful.
The Finnish Russian war wasn't the
work Of German diplomacy. In fact,
the Reich endeavored to prevent, it. But
once the war had started, Herr Won
Ribbentrop was quick to take advantage
of the immense possibilities Of that war
and also the terrific short-sightedness
Of the allies Germany and Italy as
sisted the Firms surreptitiously in order to
make Russia realize her military weak
ness. At the same time they notified
the Scandinavian kingdoms that the
Reich would not oppose their sending
war materials and volunteers, but that
upon the slightest indication that they
would allow allied troops to use the
Scandinavian territory to rescue Fin
land, they would have to reckon with
Germany's military machine.
Germany Acts Quickly.
Won Ribbentrop's calculations proved in
the end to be correct. Finland was
crushed, deprived Of territories which
would make her life as an independent
state difficult: Sweden and Norway be-
came alarmed at the prospects of hav-
ing greedy. uncouth Russia as an imme-
diate neighbor, and the three Scandi-
navian states together looked immedi-
ately toward Berlin as the only pro-
tector of their national independence,
even If the price were to be economic
subjugation.
The ink had not dried on the Russo
Finnish peace treaty when Stockholm
revealed the plan of an association for
self-defense between the three Scandi-
nayian nations. The day the Moscow
agreement was signed the Reich's f1nan-
cial wizard, DR.. Schacht, rushed to Stock
holm to discuss with the Swedish gov
eminent the prospects Of closer and
more permanent economic relationship"
A Finnish economic delegation had
been in Berlin for over week discus
sing the same problem. Oslo indicated to
Germany's Minister that Norway, too,
was anxious to begin negotiations SINH
lar to those Of Sweden and Finland.
Another group Of nations is being added
to the Reich to bolster up its economic
resources and fulfill Ribbentrop's and
Goerings great ideal, ''the United States
of Northern and Eastern Europe under
leadership of the Third Reich"
Diplomatic Intrigue.
Plans Of the German diplomats had
been carefully concealed to allied foreign
offices. These were lulling themselves
with the belief that the Finnish Russian
War would in the end bring about dis
location of the Berlin-Moscow axis.
Chamberlain's strongest argument
against a declaration of war on Russia
was that "in the near future there will
oe a row between Germany and the So
viets, with the allies gaining Russia on
their side once more; let Finland be the
price for democratic victory; her terri
tory will be restored to her after victory
at the expense Of the Reich" When
Ribbentrops hand was shown only
few days ago, the allies rushed madly
to promise the much-sought military
support to Finland, but it was too
late. Finland entered the orbit Of
the Reich. The Scandinavian kingdoms
which had been listening to Germany's
argument for an economic union In