Evening star., 1940-02-12

Mrs. Roosevelt told her press con-
ference today she thought the young
people here for the American Youth
Congress Citizenship Institute were
wrong in not condemning the inva-
sion of Finland, but added that she
did not want to impose her opinions
on them.
She insisted that the young peo-
pie had sympathy for Finland, but
they were wondering why so much
interest has been shown by certain
groups for Finland that was not
shown for other invaded nations.
She said it makes them suspicious"
In addition, she said, they hear
conflicting reports. They know the
news is censored by Great Britain
and they still are in the state of
not being able to decide what is true.
She said she believed they were
wrong, but that she was just trying
to explain their attitude. She said
she felt personally that there was
plenty of evidence and no reason
why Russia should have gone into
Finland.
Regrets Talk of Communism.
II think they are wrong not to
condemn the invasion Of Finland"
Mrs. Roosevelt said, "but I would
not have them do something they
do not feel themselves. think
they should be allowed to come to
their own conclusions. Because I
happen to feel that way, I see no
reason why they should do anything
until they feel it."
The most "regrettable" thing Of
the institute, she insisted, was that
the talk 1t raised about Communism,
(which seems to mean 50 little In
the minds of the great mass of
those youngsters, has submerged the
really important thing, which was
that they needed and wanted jobs. I"
She said she was sure that only
the "intellectuals" were thinking
about Communism or Finland to any
great extent. Most of them, she
said, don't really care about any,
thing, except what is going to hap
pen to them.
In any case, she said, 1t is the
theory of Communism rather than
the Russia of Stain with which the
young people sympathize. She said
she felt some Of them believe that
pure Communism was the answer to
the problems of the Russian people.
Not Communist Controlled.
She reiterated her belief that,
while a great many Of them arrive
at the same conclusions as the Com
munists because Of the same diff
culties, they are not Communist
controlled.
Their attitude toward keeping out
of war comes from feeling their
difficulties so desperately and their
conviction that war is no answer,
she said.
Mrs. Roosevelt said she felt that
older people should be much more
concerned with the disheartenine
situation" Of unemployed youth than
with the question Of Communism,
which I think is immaterial to the
great bulk of young people"
Her own reactions to the meet
ings she attended were than any one
who listened would be impressed by
the fact that a great many young
people are having a hard time and
want to find solutions for a great
many difficulties and that the meet
ings served to emphasize the fact
that the problems OF youth exist all
over the country.
Trying to Solve . Problem.
She said she found nothing to
condemn in the feeling of the young
people that If they can't have jobs
IN private industry they want the
Government either to train them or
give them jobs until they can be
given jobs elsewhere.
She said the young people were
simply trying to meet through gov
ernment q situation they can meet
no other way. She said she had
no idea how many delegates were