Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-01-18
International
News Review
BY GEORG srRANDvOLD

Early this week some of the small
European nations were pretty scared
because of pressure exerted by Rus
STA and Germany, and at the moment
of writing there is no way of telling
whether the scare was justified or not;
considering what has been the fate
of some of the small countries dur
ing the last few years, there would
seem to be too ample reason for
fright.
Russia, involved in an aggressive
war against Finland, sent word to
Sweden and Norway that they had
better stop helping the Firms in the
various ways in which they give their
support, or else =! The Moscow
message was not sent in the usual
manner, that is, through accredited
diplomatic representatives, but was
broadcast by way of the Russian radio
stations.
Reaction was immediate: Both the
Scandinavian governments let it be
understood that not only were they
not going to stop helping the Firms,
but they might even increase their
support. They aren't as worried about
the so-called military might of Rus
STA as they were before the war
against Finland began, for they
and the rest of the world-have seen
that in the Soviet war machinery
there isn't much to be afraid of.
German Campaign.
The government of Germany has
not been direct or blunt in it's state
ments concerning Scandinavia's atti-
tude toward Finland, but the press
has said plenty, and when the Ger
man press speaks, it is to be assumed
that the Hitler government is be-
hind it.
Through the newspapers, then, Ger
many has served word upon the
Northern countries to remain as pas
sive and as neutral as possible in
regard to the Russo-Finnish war
Under international law, there is no
obligation on the part of any coun-
try to stay neutral in this particular
connection, for Russia never declared
war on Finland, nd-techincally
speaking-an undeclared war is not
war, ridiculous at this sounds But
so it is.
There have been several rather
pointed reminders coming out of
Berlin to the effect that if Denmark,
Norway and Sweden in any way OPP
pose the ambitions of Hitler, it is
just too bad for them. Russia has
spoken in the same vein. And the
position of the Northern countries,
squeezed in, as they are, between the
lands of the German and the Russian
dictators, is not an enviable one
Dutch-Belgian Fears.
A sudden panic seems to have
swept, also, Holland and Belgium.
The reasons for it do not appear to
be known, but the evident fact is
that they feel very nervous. Both of
these countries have called in more
men to the colors, and all leaves from
the armies have been cancelled for
the time being. At The Hague and
at Brussels they do not yet charac-
terize their preparations as mobiliza-
| ton, but they seem to be the next
thing to it.
Reasons for the fears are not quite
clear, for it is not known that Ger
many has made any threats, direct or
indirect; something may, of course,
have happened ''backstage," and there
is always the possibility that Ger
many, impatient of the delay at the
Maginot line, may want to force a
way into France through Belgium,
and to provide for an easy approach
of bombers for England-through
Holland. These possibilities are there
If there are any concrete facts, they
are not publicly known.
RussO-Finnish War.
Meanwhile, Russia's attack on Fin
land continues, but its pace seems to
have slackened. The invaders have
been so soundly beaten in several
battles that they, perhaps, have lost
the courage to resume strong attacks
just now There have been some
renewed Russian bombings of Hell
sinki, but since the Firms defeated
the enemy at Suomussaelmi the other
day, there has been no further major
action on the part of the attacker and
of the defender
Official Russia has made an at
tempt to explain away all of the Fin
nish bulletins of victory; it doesn't
come with good grace, nor is it very
convincing in the light of results
which have been reported and cor
roborated, and when the Russians
claim that they have lost only 900
men, and that these losses were due
not to Finnish military action but to
the harsh Finnish winter, it sounds a
bit laughable, for the Russians have
lost thousands of men as direct re-
suit of actual warfare.
Western Front Inactive.
AS for the land war between Ger
many, Great Britain and France on
what is commonly known as the west
ern front-although to the French
it is the eastern-there is, monoton-
ously, nothing to report. Again there
hox,o hoor cOr,o incinniHoonf ckir-