Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-31
FinIund's Dilemma

| The State Department ban upon
news releases and pamphlets by the
| Finnish Information Center in New
| York, and the correlative stoppage
of International material issued by
the American Legation in Helsinki,
mark another stage in the deteriora-
ton OF diplomatic relations between
the United States and Finland.
The reason for this particular
episode has been given by the State
Department as due to difficulties
raised by the Finnish Government
regarding the type of material dis
tributed by our Legation at Helsinki,
this material being prepared here in
Washington by the Office of War
Information. Similar difficulties re-
garding consular activities were ad-
vanced as the reason for a mutual
closing of Consulates here and in
Finland some months ago. But such
incidents are significant, not so
much in themselves as symptoms
of a deeper trend.
The basic trouble is that the
United States and Finland are on
opposite sides in the most terrible
war the world has ever seen. That
is the stubborn fact whose tragic
implications are inescapable. For
surely it is tragedy that Finland,
with its consistent record of demo-
cratic idealism and civilized achieve
ment, should be aligned with Nazi
Germany against our Allies. 1t
speaks volumes for the high regard
enjoyed by Finland with the Ameri-
can people that our Government has
forborne to conSign Finland to the
ranks of its enemies, as has already
happened with the other satellites
of the Axis
Americans realize the sad dilemma
in which Finland is placed, For Fin
land, Russia is the hereditary foe
which, for centuries, has menaced
it's very existence as a nation Rus
sias attack upon Finland three years
ago, coming hard on the heels of
Russias obliteration of the Baltic
States, confirmed Finland's worst
fears. The Firms are undoubtedly
sincere In believing that Germany's
attack on Russia was a unique op-
portunity to recover those frontiers
which they deem indispensable to
their elementary security. The Fin
nish Government claims that Russia
has never made a genuine peace
offer that could assure their future
Indeed, they go further and ask, in
view of past relations, how Russian
forebearance could be relied on in
default Of an iron-clad guarantee
by the United States and Britain to
see that Russian promises would be
lived up to. And there have been
no intima tions that either America
or Britain was ready to pledge itself
to go to war with Russia in Finland's
defense.
Hence, the Firms are today fight
ing alongside the Axis in what they
deem to be a war for national life.
To be sure, that war has it's limita-
lions. BY what looks like a tacit
agreement, the Firms have made no
all-out effort to capture Murmansk
or cut the railway which leads from
that lce-free Arctic seaport to the
Archangel line. Neither have. they
pressed the siege Of Leningrad from
their side. But Finland allows the
use of it's territory for German land
forces and for German planes at
lacking conveys bound for Muir
manSk and Archangel, thereby Sc
riously handicapping the supply of
Russia with vitality needed munitions
and foodstuffs. This is war, and we
are bound to help our Russian ally.
The Russian government undoubt-
edly diSlikes our forebearance and
would prefer to see us follow BritainS
example in breaking rela ions with
Finland and declaring open hos
lIllIieS. HOW muCn longer the IRON
logic of this situation can be averted
remains to be seen.
The recent episode of the recep-
ton at the Japanese Legation in
Helsinki should not obscure the
larger realities involved The Fin
nish Legation here has denied many
of the details in the stories circu-
lated concerning just what happened
on that occasion. But whether GER
tain Finnish officials did. or did not,
express sympathy with Japan should
not decide the question whether the
traditional friendship with Finland
is to be terminated.