Evening star., 1947-06-15

German cnemlcal company, curing
the war.
my friends and I did not know
what was going to happen after the
war;" he said. "We thought every
thing was going to pieces and we
might end up in Siberia. But here
we are talking to you"
A left-wing politician stood up for
Russia in these words: "At the end
Of the winter war Russia had
broken our Mannerheim Line, our
army was tired and without NUM-
tions-but the RUSSIANS did not
take unfair advantage of us. At
the end of the second war against
Russia) they had every opportunity
to occupy our whole country. But
Russia has not done anything to
make our troubles greater. In the
beginning the Finnish government
often asked the Russian control
authorities for advice because it
was eager to do what was expected
of it. The Russians used to answer,
Why are you asking? You can
do as you like"
Many Theories on Russia
I asked any one met why Rus
sia did not occupy Finland. I got
several different answers. Some
Firms thought it was only because
the west had brought pressure to
bear: eff it hadn't been for Swe-
den and England and America we
would have been occupied" A for
eign diplomat thought it was for
strategic" reasons: "Stalin was
concentrating everything at that
time on pursuing and destroying the
Germans, on demonstrating that
the Russians could fight well on
foreign soil. He wanted to get to
Berlin ahead of the Allies. And he
knew the Firms were tough cookies.
He respected them for the courage
they showed in the winter war and
he knew if he attempted to occupy
the country he would have a tough
job on his hands"
A Finnish editor said: eff an oc-
cupation had been one Of the con-
ditions of the armistice we would
not have signed it. That would
have been too much. And in 1914
the war was still nearly year short
of conclusion. 1t was to the definite
advantage of the Russians to close
this theater of the~ war and free
their forces to concentrate on Ger
many"
A foreign observer thought that
the Russians acted from purely
selfish reasons" He said: They
wanted Finland to furnish produc-
ton and they were aware that the
Firms, having no love for the Rus
slams, would not work as well for
them as for their own government. :"
Moreover, he said. there was mo
need" for an occupation because of
the strategic position the Russians
occupy in Finland by terms of the
peace treaty.
Soviet's Intentions Unknown
"They could occupy the country
in "a hours whenever they WISH v
he declared, pointing out that in ad-
dition to the common frontier they
share with Finland, the Russians
now neatly control the Helsinki
jugular with their base at Pork
kala, only 10 miles away.
One thing I have seen, or rather,
have not seen, surprises me very
much-not single picture of Stain
dl4y WllclC Ill l11C COQiIlS.
This Is the only country on the
Russian border that dares to ignore
the customary practice of plastering
Stalins picture everywhere. Nor is
Stains picture carried In the an
nual May Day parade here. In fact,
the Finns are so far from being
''ikon" conscious that when a small
picture of Otto Vile Kuusinen, old
time Finnish Communist leader, ap-
peared in the Communist section OF
the 1916 parade, all Finland in
cluding many Communists, talked
about it disapprovingly for days.
No such experiment was tried again
in l947. Kuusinen Is head of the
Karelian Soviet Socialist Republic,
set up after Finland ceded this pro-
vince to Russia. Red flags are car