The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-07-03
FLAME:
Hits Russia

Anxious eyes watched the begin
ming of actual war between those
erstwhile partners of opposite polit-
ical faiths, Nazi Germany and COM
munist Russia, and once more the
world war was making strange bed
fellows.
Americans who wanted Britain to
win the war cheered loudly for the
Soviet, which they had been con-
demning just a short time before,
by claiming that Russia was respon-
sible for defense strikes because
Russia wanted Germany to win.
Americans who had gone into
their pockets to aid Finland, the
victim of rotten Russian aggression,
suddenly awoke to find Finland, &C
cording to Hitler's word, marching
bravely hand in hand with the Nazi
soldiers against Russia"
And some Americans figured that
in the battle between the worlds
two leading relationships, the
democracies, now practically boiled
down to the United States, England
and China, had everything to win
and nothing to lose.
Their memories were able to bark
back to the day when Britain, in or
der to avoid war, had endeavored
to encircle Germany by lining up
France, Italy, the Balkans, Turkey
and Russia as allies.
1t had been on August "a, 1889,
that Russia had thrown this into
the pot by the dramatic and sensa-
tional formation of an alliance with
Germany, thus breaking the encir-
clement at a vital point and en-
couraging the Nazis to move into
Poland. .-
But it was undeniable that when
Germany's march brought her to
the Balkans and down into Greece
that Russia had made unfriendly
diplomatic statements and over
lures, particularly in the case of
Jugoslavia and Bulgaria.
Observers did not forget that
Churchill had told Russia, following
the loss of the battle of Greece, "you
will be next!" The event bore out
the prediction of the British premier,
and the event was not long coming.
In the German statements accom-
panying the declaration of war on
Russia, it was stated that 1--WE gave
Russia half of Poland" Most OBJ
servers thought then and now that
there was considerable surprise and
not little chagrin in Nazi Germany
that Russia had leaped in and cap
tured half of the booty.
It was regarded as one of the
"signposts" of discord that lined the
almost two years of pathway that
Russia had travelled apparently
hand in hand with Germany.
There also was no question but that
the visit of Sir Stafford Grips as
envoy to Russia was recognition
on the part of England that the re-
greet over the alliance between the
Reds and the Nazis was mutual.
The feeling was general that Rus
STA, having observed, having been
inside the Nazi military machine,
having learned lessons in the Fin
nish campaign, was beginning to feel
herself strong enough to refuse Ger
man demands that it place its sup
plies and railway facilities under
German control.
Most certain it was that Russia
was not completely ready, or it
would have been her turn to declare
the war and make the first move,
for there was no feeling that Russia
would have any scruples about
treaty breaking.
In the demands that Molotov was
supposed to have made of Germany,
with regard to Finland, Bulgaria,
and the bases on the Dardanelles
and Bosporus, provided they were
truly reported by Won Ribbentrop,
one could see that Russia had self