The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-27


 The Films are still for Finland, first last and all the time, but in fighting for their beloved independ- ence, they have got their fur-lined britches snagged on every point of an antlered dilemma. Talk about history repeating itself! Not here, for you will search the pages of history in vain to find any parallel for this Finnish predicament.
 Sooner, rather than later, how ever, this thing will have to be solv- ed, in spite of the fact that the Films themselves are playing this chess game for Stalemate. Their st ategy seems to be to sit tight until perhaps both Germany and Russia are worn out. Should this happen, Finland has chance of winning her war. Otherwise, how can she?
 PEACE POSSIBLE?
 To make it easy, suppose Soviet Russia should tell the Films to write their own ticket on a peace treaty and that the Soviets could offer satisfactory guarantees that 1t would abide by the terms. Because there was no such guarantee when peace fee!ers were made by the United States fast November, noth- ing happened. But suppose such a guarantee could be made today, could Finland make a peace?
 The answer is probably no, be- fn n1okn uifh tho Soviet, Finland would have to make war on Germany, because in northern Finland, there are from six to 10 German divisions.
 They may be a smaller force than the Finnish army, but the Films would be no match against that northern army and the squeeze that Germany could apply from the south. The strangle-hold which the Nazis now have on Fin land makes her position almost sui cidal.
 There are only two ways in which Finland could make peace with the Soviet.
 The first would be through granting the Soviet armies permis- sion to occupy Finland to fight the Nazi army in the north. The chances of such development are practically nil. Finland's enemy is the Soviet - not Germany, for from the Nazis Finland has had only help.
 The only other development which might enable Finland to break with Germany would be for United Nations force to recon quer Norway and then defeat the German army occupying northern Finland. That, too, is practically an impossibility for all this north ern tip of the Scandinavian pen- insula is a mountainous, roadless, forest wilderness - the most diffi- cult terrain in western Europe over which to wage warfare. IN THE MIDDLE
 Finland, in other words, is caught in the middle. To the charge that Finland faces a worse fate under Nazi domination than she would under Soviet domination, Films shrug their shoulders. They have had no experience with Nazi dom ination. They have had plenty of experience under Soviet domination. They know they don't want the latter.
 But even taking into considera- tion the pre-Dec. 2 sympathies of the United States for Finland and the refusal of the American gov- ernment to follow the lead of Great Britain in declaring war on Finland, the present position of the Finnish government is most certainly not satisfactory to the United States From German air bases in northern Finland, Ger man bombers can range from Murmansk to Archangel, destroy ing American ships carrying American supplies to an American ally, and that is not good. So the showdown must come.
 Ideals, theology, are all mixed up in this muddle. Finland, a de- mocracy like the United States, is allied with the German totalitar- ians, fighting the Soviet totali- tarians who are allied with the United States, which is at war with Germany. Just try to make sense out of that.