Evening star., 1941-06-23
Oumonsky Sees Nozi Defeat;
Procope Denies Films Fight
Rumunion Legation
Says Its Army Battles
For Lost Territory

A confident prediction that Russia
will crush Hitler's attack came from
the Soviet Ambassador here yester-
day in one of an unusual series of
formal statements from the envoys
of the three nations involved in
Germanys surprise extension of the
war.
Hjalmar J. Procope, Finnish Min
lister, denied that his country is at
war despite Hitler's references to
Finland as an ally, explaining that
against her wish" she has been
dragged into the midst of intena-
tional turmoil"
The Rumanian Legation pro-
claimed that Rumania'S army is
fighting with Germany against Rus
sia Ito liberate and recover" terri
tory previously overrun by Soviet
aggression"
Constantine Oumansky, Soviet
Ambassador, recalled that Russia
had defeated and doomed" another
''oVerconfident and arrogant foe
Napoleon" in declaring that this
time Hitler had attacked nation
which knows how to defend itself.
OumanSky'S Statement.
The text of his statement follows:
Hitler struck at my country sud-
denly. But this time Nazi-ism
attacked not a surprised and un-
prepared people but a mighty nation
of 193,000,000 nation which
knows what it defends and how to
defend it, and which meets this
assault with iron determination to
repulse and to smash the attacker.
Hitler presented no claims, gave
no reasons, did not declare war, be-
fore he violated the sanctity of
Soviet borders. Only after he
actually started bombing and she'll
ing Soviet towns. operating partly
from the territory of Nazified
border states, did he concoct the
transparently absurd preteXts which
he for the first time presented this
morning to my government.
Consistent Policy of Peace"
Our policy of maintaining peace
has been so consistent that We
signed and fulfilled a non-aggres-
sion pact even with Nazi Germany,
a regime which had been built upon
program and policy of hatred
toward my country and had ex-
plotted this reputation to its ad-
vantage. Still we pledged peace and
we kept peace. Hitler now has
broken this peace. but this time
Hitler has miscalculated.
"Mr. Molotov this morning re-
minded the world how the Russian
people, in a patriotic upsurge, de-
feated and doomed over a century
ago another over-confident and ar
rogant foe-Napoleon. Our people
called the 1872 War, "the war for
the fatherland." The glorious ira
ditions of that struggle will be en-
hanced in this new war for the
fatherland, for the honor and lib
erty Of our people. For today ours |
is nation of a moral and political
unity and strength unknown in the
past. 1t is firmly organized, de-
voted to its leaders and has utmost !
confidence in its armed forces, which I,
are ready for any test.
"Hitler's attack upon my country !
will be crushed"
Text of the statement issued by |
Finnish Minister Procope follows:
Finland fought in the winter,
1910, for her very existence, for
home and religion, for liberty and !
democracy.
"Since the peace in March, 1910,
she has had to struggle with the
tremendous problems of reconstruc-
ton and rehabilitation She has
had to fight against threatening
starvation and exposure. Hunger
has been her only enemy.
Her sincere and firm wish is to
live in peace with all nations. Fin
land has absolutely no aggressive or
provocative intentions, but now she !
has anew, against her wish and |
through no fault of her own, been |
dragged into the midst of inter-
national turmoil. Finland is in the |
midst of the danger zone.
Will Fight for No Others.
"But Finland is and will remain |
an independent and sovereign state. |
For this she has fought before and |
she is ready to fight again. That is
our point. We Firms are pro- |
Finnish-and will not fight for other
interests
But Finland is not at war. The |
relations with Russia continue as
hitherto. There have been VIOLA
tions of our territory by Russian
planes as was told this morning |
They are regrettable incidents.
However, my hope is that we
will be left in peace. But if we
are attacked we will defend our
selves-I think that every nation
has an inalienable right to do So
we will fight to defend our in1epend-
ence, our liberty and our democratic
way of living because, please re-
member, Finland is and will what
ever happens, remain a liberty
loving democratic people"