Evening star., 1941-11-05
Nazis Not Prosecuting
Firms War, Asserts
President Ryti
Marshal Monnerheim in
Complete Command Of
Army, He Declares
Bv HENRY ]. TAYLOR.


HELSINKI, Finland by Wireless
to NANAD.-With N Finland's troops
standing before Leningrad. Risto
Ryti, President of Finland. gave me
the first direct answers to specific
questions since the beginning of
hostilities.
I wrote the questions. without
suggestions, and after dinner we
went into President Ryti's study
and I asked him to answer only the
ones he pleased.
He answered them all. He did
not change a word in them.
Here are the questions and an
swers:
@. To what extent is Finland's
war being prosecuted bv German
forces? A. The entire front south
from the Louhi district in the north
of the Gulf of Finland, a distance
of approximately 460 miles, is held
entirely by Finnish fighting men.
veterans of last winters war and
new recruits from our population.
There are no German ofi1cers or
soldiers in the Finnish units nor
have there ever been.
diminish forces, including artil-
lery, infantry and motorized
units, are starting a direct as
sault on Murmansk, and the
town will be taken in storm
within a few days should the
Russian garrison refuse to sur
render" the Finnist broadcast
yesterday heard in New York by
N. B. C. declared.
CThe Finnish press. answering
the United States, warning to
cease fighting Russia. said today
the action was fundamentally in
spired by desire to open the
Murmansk- Moscow railroad to
British-American supply ship
ments to the Red Army, The
Finnish Army has captured part
Of the lineD
Not Directed by Nazis.
@. Are German officers directing
any operations whatever, at Hell
sinki or at Finland's military head
quarters? A. No.
Q. Is Marshal Mannerheim' au-
thority over the army supreme and
complete? A. Yes. Marshal Man.
nerheim is in sole command.
@. Are there any German mi
norities in Finland? A. No. We are
possibly the most homogeneous
country in the world.
@. What percentage of the popu-
lation are Lutherans? A. Our ON
cial census shows over SO per cent
of our people are adherents Of this
one denomination.
@. Is there any alignment in Fin
land with Germany's theological and
totalitarian policies? A. No. The
Finnish people are interested only
in developing the historic. politica
and social order of this republic.
Will Stop at Strategic Line.
@. Independent of Germany's pos
sible strategic interests to the con-
trary, considering Germany's wal
with Russia, will Finland's advance
stop at Finland's old borders except
to include the new Russian fortifi-
cations? A. Finland's advance will
stop at a strategic line independ-
emily selected by her in her own
defensive interests of security. The
location of this line obviously must
remain a military secret at this time
@. Will the termination of the
Soviet-Finnish War terminate Fin
lands military action? A. Ger
tainly, we are involved only in the
war against the Bolsheviki.
@. What solution is there for the
conspiracy of circumstances through
which Finlands war against Russia
with German assistance, has caused
Finnish-American relations to suffer
in the United States? A. A realiza-
ton by America of the continual
and very old problem of Russian
aggression against Finland and ou1
repeated attempts to defend our
selves as best we can.