Evening star., 1944-03-02
Finnish Press Sharp
In Attacks on Soviet
|Armistice Proposals
BY the Associatec Press.

~ tAsS fseSsSAASSA EAtoes
STOCKHOLM, Mar. 2.-The
Finnish press sharply attacked
Russia's armistice proposals to-
day, characterizing them as dis
appointingly severe and declar-
ing they gave Finland no hope Of
negotiating an honorable peace.
The Finnish press campaign wasl
launched only few hours after the
Helsinki government had disclosed
the Soviet terms to the nation. Al
brief ofiicial announcement, outlin-
ing the proposals, said they had
been transmitted to Parliament, but
gave nos hint Of the governments
attitude.
The terms fell like cold shower"
on the people, the Helsinki corre-
spondent Of the Swedish newspaper
Aftonbladet reported. Even circles
opposed to a "wait-and- policy
of the government took the view
that the conditions were impossible
Of acceptance, the correspondent
wrote.
Both Sides Reported Attacking.
The terms called for restoration OF
the 1910 boundary, immediate cessa-
ton OF hostilities, no occupation or
change in the Finnish government,
internment of German ships and
seven Nazi divisions with or without
Red Army help.
A Finnish communique reported
lively activity on the fighting front
with both sides attacking The war
bulletin said Finnish troops pene-
trated Russian positions at four
points on the western portion of the
Aunus Isthmus and that the Rus
slams had pierced Finnish lines near
Uhtua after heavy artillery bar
rage. A counterattack was said to
have restored Finnish positions.
The liberal Helsinki newspaper
Uusi Suomi, of whose board Premier
Edwin Linkomies is a member, de-
clared peace cannot be reached on
the basis Of the announced condi-
tions.
Moscow Procedure Criticized.
1--WE cannot abandon our essential
natural rights and expose ourselves
completely without protection. Re-
sponsible organs of the state mus,
decide. 1t is their duty to find ar
honorable peace. The announced
conditions give no hope in this re-
spect"
Uusi Suomi accused Moscow Of
publishing the terms In order tt
gain a political and moral advan.
tage so it can say You are unrea.
sonable and stubborn if you don,
accept"
Moscow's real aim, the paper said
lis to isolate us from the remainder
of the understanding for us which
perhaps still Is alive among the
western nations"
| The liberal HuvudstadSbladet
leading Swedish h-language newspap.
er in Finland, declared the Soviet
terms do not open those perspec.
tives to peace we SO eagerly wanted.
Risk Of Anothed War.
Real peace" it said, must create
oeAeS "hASAi PNaAliUS Vic pCOplC
return to peaceful work and live
without any anxiety in the near fu-
ture.. Such state hardly woulC
be reached If we accepted Moscow's
conditions. Acceptance would ex-
pose ourselves to the risk of becom-
ing involved in another. war ars
would transform our own territory
into a war theater.", --@
Finnish quarters in Stockholm
said after talking with persons In
Helsinki 1t was unlikely that Fin.
land would accept the Russian pro-
posals-mainly because she coulc
not afford to withdraw her troop.
from their present positions as q
preliminary to further talks.
THE terms are unlikely to fur
ther efforts toward peace" these in
formants said.
Other earlier reports from Hell
sinki said the Finnish government
was planning to send a delegation
to Moscow. but these were wholly
luncOnfirmed