Evening star., 1940-02-24
Allied War on Russio?


reports that an Anglo-French naval
squadron is blockading the northern
Russian coast, comes a significant
hint from England that such action
may foreshadow actual hostilities
between the western powers, now at
war only with Germany, and the
latter's all but officially acknowledged
ally, the Soviet Union. Speaking last
night for the first time since his
retirement from the Chamberlain
cabinet, former Secretary of State
for War Leslie Hore-Belisha, before.
an audience of his parliamentary
constituents at Devonport, openly
advocated that the allies make war
on Russia. He urged that recourse
"both to aid Finland and to hasten
the end of the conflict with Ger
many"
"The risk of helping Finland" the
deposed head of the British Army
establishment said, may be great,
but the risk of not helping her might
be greater. For that gallant country
is fighting not for herself alone. She
is holding the pass for civilization"
In no terser words since sympathiz-
ing but inhibited outside world first
voiced its compassion for the Finnish
cause has the case for the little re-
public farthest north been more
tellingly stated. Finland is fighting
for more than her own independence.
She is fighting for democracy every
where. Freedom will shrek" as
surely when the light of liberty goes
out in Finland as it "shrieked when
Kosciuszko fell" It may shrek the
louder if the blight of Stalinism falls
across a nation which might have
been saved had democracy in spirit
of enlightened self-interest, If for no
nobler motive, ventured sooner to
make the Films struggle that of civil
lization, as the former British war
secretary, perhaps not even yet
too late, now urges Britain and
France to do.
An allied blockade of Russian Arc
tic waters, of course, would have
more than sentimental inspiration.
It's avowed purpose would be to pre-
vent shipment of Russian supplies
to Germany via that region and the
Baltic, as we'll as to frustrate possible
attempts to deliver Soviet subma-
rines to the German Navy. Apart
from blocking traffic between the
Reich and the Soviet via Norwegian
coastal waters, the British and
French aim to stop any more German
ships from taking refuge in Russias
northernmost harbor, as did the
elusive queen of the Nazi merchant
marine, the Bremen, earlier In the
war. To Murmansk it was that our
own City of Flint was taken by
the Germans as supposed war
prize-an episode Of painful memory
in our most recent relations with the
Soviet Union. German merchantmen
repeatedly have maintained steady
connections with Murmapsk, which
is an ice-free port despite its Arctic
environment. Norway's coastline,
broken by its famous fjords and
screened by numerous offshore
islands, offers a comparatively safe
highway for German ships from
Murmansk and one which has been
used effectively to evade the allied
blockade in the North Sea. Anglo
French naval authorities would put
an end to such facilities.
The Russian Navy hardly would be
in position, without substantial Ger
man support, which the Nazis are in
no position to lend, to checkmate an
Arctic blockade. The Soviet fleet Is
strong only in modern submarines,
said to number between ITO and 1872,
with some seventy based on Vladi-
vostok, in addition to fifty motor tor
pedo boats and an unknown number
of patrol vessels, a mobile fleet held
in readiness for an eventual clash
with Japan. Apart from submarines,
the Union of Soviet Socialist Re-
publics is credited with possessing
thirty-eight under-age destroyers
and fifteen older boats. In commits
stoned capital ships Soviet strength
is negligible. It consists Of three YES
sells, completed about 1914, of twenty
three knots speed, mounting twelve
inch guns and aggregating perhaps
seventy thousand tons. Russia is
reputed to have two modern $4,000
ton capital ships under construction.
Her present cruiser force is not i'm
pressive, embracing nine fairly old
ships and five building.
The personnel of the Red Navy,
according to latest reports. totals
23,6OO officers and men, 10000 OF
whom are on sea-going duty. They
are not famed for efficiency. The fleet
is distributed between the Black Sea,
the Baltic, the Caspian Sea and the
Far East. OF the three capital ships
afloat, one is in the Black Sea, two
in the Baltic.
British discussion Of naval "di-
version" in the Arctic directed against
Russia comedies with signs of a pro-
1T