Evening star., 1941-09-03
Will FinIund Make Peace?

Despite official disclaimers and
denials, rumors persist that a Sepa-
rate RuSso-FinniSh peace is in the
offing. In this connection it is inter-
esting to note the words of General
Lennart OeSch, addressed to his VIC
torious troops after the recapture
of Viborg. Speaking amid the ruins
of that once charming city, torn
from Finland only last year, he said:
by the conquest of Viipuri (Viborg),
the coercive Moscow peace is no
more" and he added: Ancient Finn
iSh soil is still in the hands of the
enemy. May your success give you
strength to carry your task to final
and permanent conclusion"
1t may be noted that the generals
statement made no mention of the
larger conflict between Soviet Russia
and Germany, with which Finland
is allied. That is in line with other
official pronouncements which pro-
claimed the recovery of territory lost
to Russia as FinlandS reason for en-
tering the war. AS a result of
Finnish victories, most of this terri
tory has been regained. The only
important bit still in Russian hands
is the naval base at Hangoe on the
Southern Finnish coast, now under
heavy siege from both land and sea.
Once the former frontiers have been
reached, Finland's objective will
have been attained, and further
fighting logically would be unneces-
sary from the Finnish point of view.
Of course, those gains have been
made by force of arms, and must be
ratified by definitive peace with
Russia if they are to be retained.
Would the Soviet giant give up terri
tory won at so great cost of Russian
blood? Furthermore, would Germany
permit its ally to drop out of the
fight at this crucial moment? Off
hand, it might seem that neither
eventuality is likely. And yet an
analysis of deeper factors does not
exclude the possibility.
Take first the case of Russia. The
Soviet Union today is at death grips
with a relentless foe who already has
penetrated deep into Russia and
threatens to 60 much further. Every
ounce of strength is needed to COM
bat the supreme enemy. In such a
fight, even little Finland, with its
small yet excellent army, weights
perceptibly in the wavering balance.
Finland'S superb resistance against
Russian aggression two years ago
is an indomitable people ready to
fight literally to the death rather
than submit to conquest or national
mutilation. 1t well may be that Mos
cow would prefer stable peace to
strategic" frontier which would
mean chronically embittered
neighbor Finland is too small ever
to threaten Russia alone. But SO
long as the Firms are in a mood to
ally themselves with a strong power
against a Russia which threatens
their national life, they will con-
tinue to be ready-made allies for
RuSsia's enemies.
Now take the case of Germany.
Useful as the Firms have proved in
the specialized fighting amid lakes
and forests, their small numbers
alone would limit their value in the
titanic combat which remains to be
fought. Naturally, the Germans
would prefer to have the Firms con-
tinue to fight intellectually on
their side. But Berlin, like Moscow,
knows the''temper of this stubborn
people and their diSinclination to
bleed themselves white in a war
which they may no longer consider
their own. A neutralized Finland
would tend to cover the Arctic front,
for the Russian base at Murmansk
would become valueleSS as a port of
entry if Leningrad and the adjacent
region falls into German hands.
Furthermore, Germany would be re-
lieved of the burden of feeding Fin
land. this winter, which it must do if
it's ally is to be saved from famine.
Thus Finland's peace prospects, while
dubious, are not to be summarily
dismissed from the reckoning.