Evening star., 1941-02-26

KING GUSTAV v.
months and Sweden wasn't fighting
at all. Nevertheless, my train COM
panion really thought that the
SWedes ought to get twice as many
American planes as the Firms.
I remember this remark so wildly
because it became symbolic of so
much else that one encountered in
Sweden. The Swedes were always
taking care of number one, some
how rather too obviously and vocif-
erously. They also contributed most
generously to the Firms, in money
and war materials-a natural thing
when the Firms alone were keeping
bolshevism away from the Swedish
frontier. But the national policy
could be summed up in the phrase,
mo war-not a drop of Swedish
blood" Maybe you have heard that
idea expressed somewhere before.
Flabby With Prosperity.
Well. the Swedes have got through
so far without shedding any of their
own blood, save that of few volun-
teers who went to Finland and died
in magnificent protest against ma
tional policy which they (the ideal
istic and the lion-hearted) felt was
a short-sighted and blind as it was
selfish. l know a few Swedes like
that and I shall never forget them.
Unfortunately, I met so many others
who had gone fabby with peace and
prosperity.
1t was common thing in Stock
holm, during the days when the
best of the Norwegians were fight
ing lost cause just over the noun
tains, to see Swedish males expand
their chests and declare, The Nazis
will never touch us. They know
what we'll do to them!" Once I
took the wind completely out of a
young officer by remarking. IF YOU
Swedes are such great soldiers, why
are you always talking about it."
Suddenly he became thoughtful 1t
was fact that these we're the most
panicky people I have ever met
anywhere although I must admit
wasn't able to visit Wall Street in
| 1890.
With this much for background
/ consider how the Scandinavians
tried to escape the war and what
happened. Finland was bleeding
and needed soldiers more than any
thing else. Britain and France were
ready to send them, but Norway and
Sweden were being strictly neutral
They wouldn't let allied troops
through. Then Norway's turn came
and the allied divisions-which
might already have been in Scandi-
navia-couldn't get there in time
United We stand. Divided we
fall.
Failed to Send Volunteers"
A month before the SovietS finally
smashed the Mannerheim Line Fin
land appealed to Sweden for two
army divisions. Naturally the Swedes
were afraid of Germany. Even so,
had they been bold. they could have
sent two divisions and called them
volunteers just as the Nazis and
Fascists had done in Spain. That
was early in February. 1t is doubtful
whether the NaZis would have at
tackled then. They were not ready
to strike until April. Two Swedish
divisions would have saved Finland
and tied up the Russians for an
other two or three months.
In Moscow, in May, my own con-
victions of the previous February
were more than confirmed by OBJ
servers who have lived in the Soviet
Union for many years. They said
that two more months of the Russo
Finnish War would have completely
shattered Soviet communications
and morale. Chaotic conditions
would have paralyzed most of the
country and Dictator Josef ".
Stalin's regime would have been
shaken to its foundations. In any
case the Red Army and the Boil
shevist system would have been so
weakened they would have been
removed as a menace for the dura-
ton of the European conflict. Two
Swedish divisions would have paved
the way for this and perhaps for
a revolution against Stalinism in
Russia.
Decided to "Play Safe"
Had Norway and Sweden taken
the bold course of Scandinavian
unity the Bolshevist bugaboo would
have been exploded. allied troops
would have been located where Hit
ler could not have conquered Nor
way in a single blow-the blitzkrieg
against Holland and Belgium would
necessarily have been postponed
quite possibly France would remain
unconquered today and most of
Scandinavia, in all probability,
would still be free. Blood would
have been shed in these countries,
but their people would not now be
enslaved or faced with slavery Ger
tainly the whole course of Europe's
fight for freedom would have been
changed.
In Sweden there were a great
many, beginning with the royal