Evening star., 1940-03-01

fighting with Russia.
The obligations of neutrality-a
very doubtful term these days
caused Congress to refrain from
naming Finland as the borrower, and
the artificial device of increasing the
funds of the Export Import Bank
was used to achieve the same
purpose.
This may appear to be legalized
subterfuge, but. in world wherein
nations fight each other with all the
weapons of war and yet obtain the
advantages OF peaceful commerce
by refusing to sanction a formal
declaration of belligerency, neutral
governments are similarly compelled
to adopt diplomatically conceived
instrumentalities.
Deceives No One.
No one is deceived by the process.
The Russian government knows
what the American Congress has
done. So do the people of Finland.
The President of the United States
has even gone so far as to express
publicly his belief that SO per cent
of the American people sympathize
with Finland in its struggle to retain
independence.
Finland, of course, will have to
comply with the formalities. She
will buy foodstuffs with the money
made available by the Export
Import Bank, but she will rearrange
her domestic purchases so that
money ordinarily used to buy food
will 90 into the Golfers of the Finn
ish treasury to buy munitions. Just
how the Firms will rearrange their
credits is their own business. The
American Government will ask no
questions and will, of course, have
no authority over what the treasury
of Finland does with all its financial
resources.
The salient fact remains that
America has helped Finland at a
critical time. Finland won her way
into the good graces of the Ameri-
can people not only by her demo-
cratic processes. but by honoring
her debt obligations to the United
States.
Is Precedent Established?
So far as Nazi and Communist
observers may see, the United States
Government has backed up its eX-
pressions of moral support with ma
terial aid to Finland. Does it mark
q precedent for the future? The
political generals here on both sides
insist that America will never enter
the war, but can it be as certainly
asserted that the United States will
not some day extend financial aid
to other nations similarly hard
pressed?
Already there is talk of relief
appropriation for Poland, but this
is plainly a humanitarian measure.
Congress is being importuned by
Republicans and Democrats to come
to the relief of the millions of
human beings who are starving in
the conquered areas of Poland.
Germany refuses to extend aid, in
sisting that the British blockade
cuts off supplies needed for her own
people.
Former President Hoover has told
q congressional committee that
America in his opinion should ap-
propriate money for the aid of the
starving Poles. His view will help
to keep the question from becom-
ing tangled in partisan politics,
which happened in some respects
Sr,;fI, rofaro,,oe fo tho Eippic1 1oon
Sweden May Benefit.
Congress is in a mood to hand
out a few millions here and there
for humanitarian reasons, and some
day 1t may be in a mood to lend
large sums to Norway and Sweden
If they should find themselves at
tackled. The probabilities are that
even some of the increased au-
thorizations just voted through the
Export Import Bank will be used in
substantial ways to help Norway
and Sweden to buy munitions and
prepare for potential developments
in Scandinavia if the Firms are con-
quered.
So whether America likes it or
not, she has become involved In the
worldwide struggle for the preser-
vation of democracy, and while no
body is even remotely suggesting
that the United States will ever
send an army overseas again, Amer
lean credits are bound to. flow
abroad in support Of the cause OF
democracy. The Finnish loan
makes a precedent that cannot pos
sibly be erased and marks mile
stone in Americas course of al
legged isolation.
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