Imperial Valley press., 1942-08-28
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

liant during this depressing season
of dog days might step up and
offer a solution to the Finnish
problem which now is so compli-
Gated that it's harder to figure out
than the relationship of Gloria
Swanson's and Constance Benefits
present and eX-husbandS. 1t is a
good bit like a old-time Hatfield
Mccoy mountain feud. Who is mad
at whom. whom is aiding who and
what for. have been somewhat lost
sight of. but one thing is certain
the feud is still on.
The Firms are still for Finland,
first last and all the time, but in
fighting for their beloved indie
pendence. they have got their fur
lined britches snagged on every
point of an antlered dilemma. Talk
about hiStory repeating itself Not
here, for ylu will search the pages
of history in vain to find any
parallel for this Finnish predica-
ment.
Sooner, rather than later,
however, this thing will have
to be solved, in spite of the
fact that the Firms themselves
are playing TINS chess game for
q stalemate. Their strategy
seems to be to sit tight until
perhaps both Germany ana
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 Firms to
write their own ticket on a peace
guarantee could be made today,
offer satisfactory guarantees when
peace feelers were made by the
United States last November, moth
ing happened. But suppose such a
guarantee could be mode today
could Finland make a peace?
The answer is probably no, be-
cause to make peace with the So
Wet, Finland would have to make
war on Germany, because in nor
them Finland there are from six
to 10 German divisions.
They may be a smaller force
than the Finnish army, but the
Firms 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
suicidal.
Thee are only two ways in
which Finland could make peace
with the Soviet.
The first would be through
granting the Soviet armies per-
mission 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 Wildernc5S-the most dill
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 domina-
ton, Firms shrug their shoulders.
They have had no experience with
Nazi domination. They have had
plenty of experience under Soviet
domination. They know they don't
want the latter.
But even taking into considera-
ton the pre-Dec. sympathies OF
the United States for Finland and
the refusal of the American gov
eminent 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 Muir
mansk to Archangel, destroying
American ships carrying American
supplies TO an American ally, and
that is not good. So the showdown
must come.
Ideals, ideOlOgy, are all mix
ed up i'm this muddIe. Finland
democracy like the United
States, is allied with the Ger
man totalitari4ns, fighting the
Soviet totalitarians who are
allied with the United States,
which is at war with Ger
manx Just try TO make sense
out of that.
llI