Evening star., 1940-01-02
Congress Must Act

Congress Must Act
With Finland's gallant little army
carrying the fighting to the invading
hordes from Russia, men and women
the world over-or at least that great
majority which holds freedom to be
the most sacred heritage of the
human race-are experiencing the
surging hope that the incredible will
come true, that the Red Goliath will
taste the bitterness of defeat at the
hands of a supposedly inferior foe.
But even as the latest dispatches
bring news of another impressive
triumph for the Finns-the smash
ing of a Soviet infantry division in
the frozen forests of the Lake Kianta
region-two considerations arise to
restrain unduly optimistic conclu-
sions that successes such as this
necessarily indicate final victory for
the little republic. One is the
thought of the great reserves of man
power at Stalin's command, of the
hundreds of thousands of fresh
troops which he can and probably
will send to the front in the hope
of crushing Finlands resistance by
sheer weight of numbers. The other
concerns Russia's apparent mastery
of the air, an overwhelming superb
ority which was asserted by the ruth
less bombing of defenseless towns in
Southern and Western Finland even
as the victorious Finnish ground
troops were pursuing the fleeing
Russian infantrymen through the
snowy wastes far to the north.
There is little if anything that this
country can do to help even the
scales in the matter of relative
numerical strength. Volunteers from
nearby states already are fighting
with the Finnish troops, and it is
to her neighbors that Finland will
have to look for additional fighting
men if and when they must be
had. But our inability to help Fin
land in this respect does not extend
to the field of aerial warfare, where
her need OF assistance is most urgent.
If the Firms were adequately sup
piled with military planes and anti
aircraft guns, the Russian bombing
expeditions, which now proceed in
comparative safety, would become
exceedingly hazardous, and it is
safe assumption that the lives of
many hundreds of non-combatants
would be spared if the cities of Fin
land were properly protected against
attacks from the air-a defense need
which, but for reasons of policy,
could be satisfied by the United
States.
These policy obstacles grow out of
"gentleman's agreement" between
Federal lending agencies and Con-
gress that no funds would be
advanced to any country for the
purchase of military supplies, and
the requirement that proceeds of
even non-military loans must be
spent in this country. At the time
these restrictions on foreign loans
had their inception neither the Con-
gress nor the American people could
foresee the current Russian effort to
destroy valiant, free and honorable
nation But now that the Red army
is on the march, now that another
blow is being struck at what is left
of European democracy, The Star
reiterates it's belief that the over
whelming majority of Americans are
opposed to the application of these
restrictions to Finland's case, and
restates it's earnest conviction that
they should be lifted by the Congress
which convenes tomorrow.
Republican as well as Democratic
spokesmen in Congress have voiced
their belief that this country should
do everything in its power to aid the
Firms. But if we are going to help
them at all we must help them now.
Delay surely means that Finnish
lives will be needlessly destroyed by
Russia's bombers, and perhaps it
may even mean the ultimate loss of
the war.
In view of these circumstances, The
Star expresses the hope that the
returning members of Congress will
keep the urgency of the situation
uppermost in mind, and that they
will take promptly whatever action
they deem necessary to make possible
an immediate loan to Finland of
from twenty-five to fifty million dol
lars, without any restrictions as to
its use.