Evening star., 1940-03-14
FinIund's Bitterness


Foreign Minister Tanner of Fin
land, in his broadcast yesterday
informing his country of the harsh
terms Of the peace with Russia. gave
voice to a bitterness against the
democracies which certainly-and
understandable Finnish hearts
today.
'The surrender is not our fault" he
said, ut is the fault of our being
forsaken by our fellow democracies. :"
Thus stands Finland's final indict-
ment of those on whom she relied in
choosing to resist rather than yield
to the Russians last fall.
Certainly if Finland could have
received the help of a large allied
expeditionary force, the hope of sue
cessful defense against the Russian
hordes would have been better, but
In analyzing the blame which the
democracies must bear for Finland's S
fate it would be all too easy to stop
with the mere fact that the allies
were tardy in their promises to send
an expeditionary force and that
Sweden and Norway fatty refused to
permit an allied expedition to pass
across their territories.
Reasons for the necessity of
Finland's acceptance of a Russian
peace go much deeper. The crux of
the allies reluctance to go further
than they did earlier in the war was
the reluctance to violate Scandi-
navian neutrality by force, thereby
probably bringing Sweden and
Norway into the war on the side OF
Germany. The Scandinavians like
wise were impelled, while rendering
the Firms every unofficial aid they
could, to avoid giving Germany any
excuse for Intervention in the de
tense" Of Scandinavian territory
against the allies, with whom Swed-
ish and Norwegian sympathies
naturally lie.
Certainly the fiat refusal of Sweden
to permit an allied expedition to pass
to Finland was not predicated upon
frivolous disregard for the fate of the
Firms. The Swedes, and the Nor
wegians too, share with Finland the
perils of Russia's new bases on Finn
tsh territory. But the danger Of
immediate involvement in the war
certainly weighed more heavily in
the Swedes' decision than the pros
pect of future menace from Soviet
Russia.
The railway which the Firms are
obligated to build from Kemijarvi to
the Russian frontier will give the
Russians access, If they decide to
move across Finland later, to the
head of the Gulf of Bothnia and a
base for possible attack on Sweden,
while the naval base at Hanko will be
constant threat of intimidation
against Stockholm, which is now
within easy striking distance of
Russian planes and warships.
Given the necessity for Sweden and
Norway to do all in their power to
stay out of the war, the reason for
Finlands inability to obtain adequate
armed resistance was geographic
more than anything else. She was
the victim Of her physical position,
just as Poland inescapably was
caught when Germany and Russia
decided to come to terms.
Recriminations now serve little
purpose. Finland is not entirely lost
to the cause of democracy, and she
has a job to do in the reconstruction
of her country, while she remains at
liberty to build anew her defenses as
best she can with what natural
barriers are left to her.
The disposition of the Scandina-
vians to conclude northern defense
union with her, meanwhile, is on the
rise, promising that in the future the
independence and neutrality of the
northern countries will be defended
as a whole, and that neither the
Firms, Swedes nor Norwegians will
have to contemplate fighting alone
against future attacks.