Evening star., 1940-02-25
Britain Is Blamed for Failure
OF Allies to Rush Aid to Firms
Scandinavian Powers Held Betrayed After First
Deciding to Permit Landing of Troops
'~ Going to Northern Front
Rv Constantine Br0,pn.

eral Stan was seeking In order to give
tie totalitarians an open battle, should
be In the Nordic states.
The matter was taken under careful
consideration by the French General
Staff. It was admitted that it was
fraught with considerable difficulty-all
landing operations are It was admitted
that the German aviation and submarine
forces might cause some serious losses to
the transports but. on the whole the
operation was feasible. The enormous
naval superiority of the British over the
Germans made it practical for their
fleet to cover the landing operation sue
cessfully in friendly country like Nor
way against the German submarine
menace. 1t would have been more diff
cult to protect the conveys and the
landed troops against German air at
tacks, but this could have been coped
with. There would have been losses but
not of such great import as to make the
operations impossible.
The Scandinavian countries have been
neutral in all European affrays for over
100 years. At the outset of the present
war they had decided to follow their old
policies-friends with all without any
particular favoritism to either group OF
belligerents.
But Norway and Sweden soon discov-
cred that the downfall of Finland would
be only the prelude to Russia expanding
toward the Atlantic; that is to say, the
inevitable subjugation of the Scandi-
navian countries in the near future.
Agreeable to Landing Troops.
When the Stockholm and Oslo govern
ments were approached indirectly re-
garding the eventual landing of large
British and French forces on their ter
ritory, they decided that, painful as it
would be to make their peaceful coun-
tries into the battlefelds of Europe. it
was preferable to resigning themselves
to slow but certain death later.
According to reliable reports the
Scandinavian governments went so far
as to suggest that they would be willing
70 abandon their neutrality completely:
order general mobilization at once and
rush their forces into Finland to stop
the drive of the Russians before it be-
came too late. But they demanded full
guarantees that French and British
troops would be on the way immediately
to land in Norway and move eastward to
meet any possible emergency. They also
demanded that as many troops as such
an operations might require should be
embarked forthwith.
But the British leaders had fears
that Germany might take q strong
stand If French and British troops were
sent, to Sweden and Norway and might
attack Britain's harbors in full force
There has been to date no serious at
tack on any of the British harbors
British shipping has suffered a good
deal from the German submarine. but
on the whole the activity of the Ger
man undersea force has not seriously
hampered the flow of supplies
oil-from overseas to Britain. But a
mass attack of German airplanes bomb
ing the harbors of Great Britain-not
necessarily the naval bases-would sure
~ be more damaging than the sub
marine warfare. Where would the mer-
chantmen put in if the docks were in
ruins?
Sweden Recolls Swiftly.
Whatever the causes, the answer to M.
Daladiers plea that the allies should fight
Russia and possibly Germany at the same
time in the north has remained un-
written.
When the definite conclusion that Brit
ain was not going to embark on a risky
affair in Scandinavia reached Stockholm,
King Gustavs government decided to re-
cede from its original position and adopt,
belatedly. strict neutrality position.
The Swedish government hopes now to
come to the necessary accommodations
with Germany-painful as they may be-
in the hope Of enlisting the Reichs sup
port for the preservation of Scandinavia's
territorial integrity. 1t was willing to
risk the great adventure" in the hope of
maintaining factual independence. But
under the circumstances, so the latest re-
ports indicate, the Swedish government
is seeking palliative-an assurance from
Germany that Russia will be discouraged
from an attempt to bring the Scandina-
Wan countries into her orbit. How sue
cessful the Swedish leaders will be de-
pends on how much they are willing to
yield to the Reich.