Evening star., 1940-03-24

Finns' lneptitude
With Press Hurt
Chances for Aid
EorIy Victory Claims
Created Belief Help
Wus Not Necessary
BY JAMES ALDRIDGE.

aid to fighting war-particularly
in the case of the Firms in their
struggle to stop the Russians.
The Films needed the foreign
press to publicize their position
more than anything else. The
handling of press dispatches sent
to the outside world meant great
deal in determining whether Fin
land would get help quickly. For
the governments of the western
powers depended on the press for
their knowledge of the Firms posi-
ton, knowledge that would gov
ern their actions.
No military attache was ever al
lowed to visit the front lines and
most of their information was
limited to official handouts.
The Firms had so many other
tasks on their hands that there was
little time for organization of
press bureau. When the war broke
out two men were given direction
over the 60-odd representatives OF
the worlds newspapers in Finland.
They did not even have an Office,
but lived in Helsinki's best hotel,
and everything centered around
these two men.
Difficult to Check News.
1t was no simple matter to get
news and, at first, impossible to get
permission to see the fronts. It
was often impossible to find these
two men, who had more work than
two men could do, and if you wanted
anything confirmed or checked up.
you were forced to waylay them in
a corner.
At that time, it was the official
Finnish attitude that they wanted
no correspondents to go to the front.
Instead, they gave us propaganda
handouts, similar to those in Eng
land, and short statements about
the War-nothing more.
The correspondents who crowded
into Helsinki's hotels represented
more Of the foreign press than in
any previous war, and of course,
they found that the two elusive press
representatives in the Hotel Kamp
were inadequate. They were ade-
quate for the Finnish Foreign Offices
needs before the war, but now. with
no knowledge of military affairs,
they could not cope with the cor
respondents demands. This situa-
ton naturally irritated the corre-
spondents. who, with a great war
story on their hands, could not re-
port it from the scenes of action.
Finally, after many discussions,
we got press room in the Hotel
Kamp and military lieutenant was
assigned to tell us more details
about the war, but there were few
trips to the front. At the same time
the Firms brought in new censor
ship regulations, which were the
strictest that most of us had ever
run up against.
Nobody minded the censorship of
military matters-in fact, we agreed
with it, since it saved us many
kick in the pants-but it was ap-
piled to general descriptive stories
dllu W IlOIl-HlluUdTy news.
Firms Hurt Own Cause.
The Firms were trying to be help
ful-we knew that-but in not CIV
ing enough thought to the foreign
press they hurt their own cause
from the first day Of the war. The
Finnish handouts were long. detailed
affairs on how the Firms were
throwing back the Red Army and
how easily the Soviet troops were
folding up. They told us the Red
soldiers were mutinying, were giving
themselves up, and those who re-
manned in action were not fighters
anyway.
This disparagement of the Red
Army-much of which was true,
most correspondents agreed-was
the wrong line for the Films to take.
T. drew from the conservative cor
respondent of conservative news
paper the remark, IF things 90 on
like this, Finland will not need any
help from abroad, or at least not as
quickly as we thought"
Telling the world that the enemy
was weak and easily defeated made
good reading for the outside world.
which was glad to see how a united
Finland could fight for its inde-
pendence, but it was not good for
their hopes of quick aid.
A change in policy came on Feb
ruary %. BY this time the Films
had got really good press bureau
working, with an organized system,
and the fronts were made visitable.
And then they threw spanner into
their new works when an official de-
livered to the journalists a 15-min-
ute speech outlinging new censor
ship regulations. These came like
a bombshell to the correspondents
and were so strict that practically all
descriptive writing was impossible.
This, unfortunately, was probably
military necessity, but it was the
final blow, and next day three cor
respondents prepared to leave Fin
land.
Policy Completely Reversed.
Included in these new regulations
was one forbidding correspondent
to describe or name any Russian
deficiencies, because the Russians
corrected them almost Immediately.
It was also forbidden to undervalue
the enemy and his fighting capac-
lty or to criticize or mock the en-
emy's actions. This was a complete
reversal of policy. But the change
came too late. The world did not
have time to realize that the Firms
were now fighting a losing battle.
and when agitation for immediate
allied help increased, it was Just too
late.
Here was q peculiar situation for
the foreign newspaper representa-
tives, not one OF whom was for any,
thing but Finnish victory. It was
unique t. find the worlds biz news
papers unanimous and on the same
SIDE of the fence. and vet their