Evening star., 1941-05-12
Sweden Taking Steps
To Remain Neutral,
Envoy Here Says
Vigilance Against Spies,
Hard Work Of People
Described by Bostrom
BY BLAIR BOLLES.


these days: "Our neutrality stands
intact; we have preserved our in
dependence"
Wollmar Flip Bostrom, Swedish
Minister here since 1926, explained
in an interview why his country has
held to that course of neutrality
which so many other European
countries have found fatal and dis
cussed the question how Sweden in
tends to keep her independence.
Sweden is a country peculiarly
close to the United States, cele-
brated here as the land of the
middle way" and governed on the
philosophical model of this Nation.
And the democratic middle way"
goes on. although, of course, under
difficulties. Germany is next door,
but democracy prevails.
Il believe it can be said with JUS
tice that the ground in Sweden is
remarkably stony and hard to till
for those who want to cultivate
other ideas than the Swedish" Min
lister Bostrom told the writer.
mo foreign ship is allowed to
enter a Swedish port without the
strictest supervision, which con-
tinues as long as the vessel remains
in Swedish territorial waters.
Hardly week passes without our
newspapers mentioning that some
foreign airplane crossing our bor-
ders has been driven off by Swedish
anti-aircraft guns or by Swedish
aviators.
Heavy Sentences for Spies.
"Spies and would-be saboteurs
have received heavy sentences. All
persons suspected of being potential
fifth columnists are always kept
under strict surveillance. A few
months ago a little clique of such
persons, who had ventured too far,
were unmasked and sentenced to
long terms in prison"
The story of the Swedish resolu-
ton to remain free and democratic
Is story of sacrifice, as Minister
Bostrom tells it.:
Ever since September. 1899, large
parts of the male population have
been under arms. Our entire mill
tary establishment was modified in
the spring of 1910 and a few weeks
ago hundreds of thousands Of men
were again called to duty. The
army is undergoing a thorough
modernization and rearrangement.
Figures tell both a little and
great deal, and perhaps the best
idea of what Sweden is at present
sacrificing to its defense can be
gained by recalling that for the
present budget year, 1940-41, al
most oue-fourth of the entire ma
tional income is spent for military
purposes.
"a special defense tax has been
imposed, and 1t is collected even
from people in the lowest income
brackets. Voluntary defense loans
have been issued, and in less than
IL months they have brought in
about $500, 900 900 from a nation of
a little over 100000 inhabitants.
How has this been possible? There
Is only one answer: Work and ma
tional devotion"
The foresight of Swedish states
men who provided their country
with reserves of important raw ma
terials before the war began, and
the technical skill and inventive
ness of the Swedish people have
combined to keep Swedish economic
life going remarkably WELL" Mr..
Bostrom said. He gave interesting
examples Of how Sweden has coped,
for instance. with the war-born
scarcity of gasoline. All gasoline
in Sweden is reserved for military
uses.
About $4,000 motor vehicles in
Sweden are run by gas generated In
the car from charcoal or wood. A
Stockholm bakery runs its so de-
livery trucks on alcoholic vapors
produced by the fermentation Of
dough. People get around on elec-
trio tricycles. Even the horses feel
the war and are going by ersatZ
methods The horses eat fir oats
and fish -four. Cows eat the same.
but they give little milk in return.
Insists on Foreign Trade.
Hemmed in though she was from
the Western world after the occu-
patton of Denmark and Norway,
Sweden, in evidence of her free
dom, has insisted successfully on
the privilege of trading with the
world beyond Europe. Trade is nee
essary to the functioning of the
Swedish democracy, and "it goes
without saying that Sweden has not
been standing with folded arms
watching the greater part of its
foreign trade shut OF by the block
ades."
There are two aspects of Sweden's
wartime trade-European and New
World.
I'VE have done whatever we
could" Mr.. Bostrom said, ito help
ourselves by building up all possible
trade with our neighbors and the
countries to the south and east of
| the Baltic. That our trade with
Germany has thereby been increased
beyond the normal Is only natural
and inevitable.
But believe it worth while to
stress the fact that this trade be-
tween Sweden and Germany has,
Il a