Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1940-03-13
Soviet Demands


The Soviet demands were ther
revealed by Soviet Premier Vyache
Slav NJ Molotov to be:
l. An exchange of part of So
Wet Karelia for part of the Rybach
peninsula, near Murmansk.
?. CesSion of part of the Karelar
iSthmuS. near Leningrad.
g. Decentralization of the Rus
Sian-FinniSh rontier.
4 A naval base at Hanko.
5 CesSion of some small islands
in the Gulf of Finland
g. In return for these conceS-
SionS. q withdrawal of Russian OBJ
jection3 to fertilization of the AL
and islands.
The Films made their third trip
to Moscow on Nov. 9 but the next
day they were still deadlocked, prin-
cipally on the Hanko naval base
proposal. and on the llth Soviet
press Pronunciation of Finland began
The Firms were accused of "an
anti Soviet policy" and two week
later il was charged that Finnish
artillery had fired across the Rus
sian border, killing four Russian
soldiers and wounding nine. The
Firms denied border violations and
suggested a mutual withdrawal OF
troops from border areas. a proposal
the Soviets received coolly.
Russia repudiated its seven-year-
al
severed diplomatic relations next
dav and on the Goth the Russian in
vaSion began.
II was a war between 17000000O
Russians and 3,50O.0OO Firms. Lenin-
grad in whose deenSe against some
uture invasion the war was suppos-
ed to be waged. has population of
about 100000.
Even after the invasion the Firms
attempted to obtain an armiStiCe by
setting up new cabinet. headed by
Risto Ryti. who previously had been
governor of the Bank of Finland.
Ryti announced willingness to ne
gotiate with Moscow but determine
ton to fight for just peace.
The Russian response was eStab-
llshment of a peoples government
of Finland" headed by the Finnish
Communist exile. Otto Kuusinen.
who had not been in Finland for
% years. This government. estab-
lished at Terijoki. just inside the
Finnish frontier promptly signed a
pact granting all MoscowS demands.
Ready For War
The Firms were surprisingly ready
for war. Their Mannerheim line
vas a stout isthmu3 bulwark, their
guerilla tactics on other fronts were
fatally effective to Russian detach-
merts fighting on unfamiliar ter
rain and the first Soviet troops sent
into the country were definitely in
ferior. described as mere cannon
fodder
Nevertheless, the Red troops
broke through the isthmus first for
titled zone on December 10 and by
December II long range Russian
guns were Smelling Viipuri. Russian
planes bombed towns throughout the
country.
Christmas day and New Years
we're big ones for the Firms. On the
first holiday they reported penetrat-
ing to Russian soil for the first
time in the war and on the begin
ming of the new year they announc-
ed than an entire Russian division
which, with reinforcementS. included
about $4,000 men, had been virtual
" annihilated" north of Suomi ;Sal-
mi
Less spectacular, but vastly moro
effective in cutting Russian man
power, were the Finnish defensive
tactics along the Mannerheim line
Thousands of Russians were moved
down by machine gun fire The
Finnish ski patrols raced over the
white snow in perfect camouflage
lsed forests for cover like expert
woodsmen and hacked bewildered
Russian units in surprise sallies.
The Russians numbered on, SEEM
ingly needless of the appalling num-
Der of lives their massive assaults
we're costing. There are no ade-
1uatelv authenticated estimates Of
the number killed, wounded or cap
tured or of the vast amounts OF
material destroyed or seized but al
neutral OBJ servers have been horri-
fled BY the bloodshed.
The Firms, on the other hand
conserved manpower and employed
defensive tactics so Skillfully that
their losses, by comparison, were but
slight. They gave ground when they
had to and fell back to new line'
II their deep system of defensive
notifications. They used their "sau-
age cutting technique, so success.
nj at Suomussalmi, in destructio
# another Ri sian division. the 18t
md thu tank brigade which race
acroga the border to its rescue.
Vast Resources
But they could not hold out for