Evening star., 1940-03-14
Ready to Discuss
Pact, Say Sweden
And Norway


And Norway
SO GERMAN PLANES shot down
since September 3, say French; sub
captain who sank Courageous
credited with 24,60O more tons.
Page Al
VIIPURI OCCUPATION final tri-
umph, Reds announce; city cap
tured five hours before end of
fighting, says Russian communi-
que. Page Al
BATTLESHIP BUILDING by Nazis
serious threat to allies; Reich may
have six in 1910 with completion
of four more. Page AS
By the Associated Press.
STOCKHOLM, March 14.-The
Swedish foreign office announced
today that the Swedish govern
ment, in reply to question from
the Finnish government had de-
clared itself ready and willing to
discuss the possibility of a de-
fensive alliance"
Norway's foreign minister, Halvdan
Koht, made virtually Identical an
nouncement soon after President
kyosti Kallio of Finland in broad
cast from Helsinki said the need for
al
The three Northern nations, mov-
ing for joint defense discussions, ap-
parently were spurred by Russia S
terms exacting vital territorial con-
cessions from Finland as the price
for ending the Finnish Russian War.
Sweden and Norway found cause
for cencern in the rail and air right
of way Russia won across Finnish
territory to the Swedish and Nor
wegian frontiers.
Strategic Changes Studied.
Sweden, taking stock of changes in
6candinavia's strategic position as a
result of Soviet Russia's inroads on
Finland. now is prepared for an "un-
biased examination" of the situation
lest Finland become another Czecho-
Slovakia.
Apparently she favors some sort of
defensive alliance of the north coun-
tries to insure that the Russians will
not follow up the Moscow settlement
with q march to Helsinki as the Ger
mans followed Munich with march
to Prague.
There remained, of course, the pos
sibility that Germany herself might
stand in the way of any such Rus
sian move.
A Swedish stand for closer collabo-
ration of the north countries was
limited last night when Swedish For
eign Minister Christian Gunther told
special gathering of Parliament
that the danger is not over" and
that ''as result of Finlands altered
frontiers our own position has be-
come worse, viewed generally. than
1t was before the Russian-Finnish
conflict"
Gunther pointed to provisions in
the peace of Moscow advancing the
Russian frontier toward Sweden in
the Salla area and providing for
construction of a railway through
that zone to link the Russian Muir
mansk railway with a Finnish line
connecting with Swedish Haparanda
at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia.
These, he said, are conditions
that are of evident interest to u.s.
Pressure on Firms Denied.
Gunther said SWeden's role in
Initiating Finnish-Russian peace
talks was that of an intermediary,
that Sweden put no pressure on Fin
land to accept Moscow's terms and
that Germany had not tried to in
fuence the Stockholm government.
Now that peace has been achieved,
he said, "the Northern countries
should be prepared to direct their
policy more purposefully than be-
fore" and added that the question
of strengthening their cooperation
should be submitted to IAN un-
biased examination"
At Helsinki, Finnish Foreign Min
lister Vaino Tanner said that Fin
land had taken the initiative in
asking for conversations looking to
a defensive pact with Sweden and
Norway to insure her altered bor-
ders against further violation.
The Norwegian newspaper Dag
bladet of Oslo declared that the rail-
way provision of the Moscow treaty
would permit the Soviet Army al
any time to "cut Finland in two and
get to the Swedish border"
New Peace Distrusted.
The Swedish newspaper Social
demckraten asserted that only "a
defense alliance in life and death
of the northern countries could in.
sure future safety, and appended the
warning:
1--WE do not believe in the dura-
bility of the new peace and we dc
not believe in peace guarantees
from a power which has dismem-
bered and violated free people"
This anxiety-that Finland might
within q few months 60 the way OF
Czecho-Slovakia-is widely shared
In Scandinavia. The people won
dered whether Finland had accepted
. harsh peace in the gamble that
Germany would bar further in.
croachments in the style of hel
1See STOCKHOI,M. Page A-2)