Evening star., 1948-03-30
Red Pressure on Scandinavia

Red Pressure on Scandinavia
The current campaign in the Moscow
press against the Scandinavian countries
is neither novel nor unexpected. At
various times during the past two years,
Soviet newspapers have made charges
against Norway, Sweden and Denmark,
accusing the governments of those nations
of subservience to the "imperialistic" de-
signs of the western powers, particularly of
the United States.
However, the stepping up of Communist
aggression throughout Europe, coinciding
with Moscows virtual ultimatum to Fin
land for an all-out alliance with the Soviet
Union, invests Russian press attacks on
Scandinavia with peculiarly ominous
significance.
Scandinavias strategic Importance in
the growing tension between east and west
is great and far-reaching. This Is so not
only from the geographical position of
Scandinavia itself but also because of its
dependencies which extend across the
North Atlantic Ocean, from Spitzbergen to
Greenland. Any Russian aggression upon
the Scandinavian homelands would at
once involve the status of those depend
encies and challenge the vital interests of
the United States, Britain and Canada
alike. The problem acquires especial
urgency from the fact that only Sweden
possesses the military and naval strength
even temporarily to resist Russian attack.
Furthermore, Russia acquired a common
frontier with Northern Norway through its
acquisition from Finland of the Petsamo
Corridor to the Arctic Ocean, while the
acceptance by Finland of a full military
alliance with Russia would lay the Swedish
land border open to Russian attack and
further outdank Northern Norway.
The larger strategic picture involves
the Scandinavian dependencies, Norwegian
and Danish, together with the now inde-
pendent state of Iceland, since Sweden has
no detached possessions.
The first link in that North Atlantic
strategic chain is Spitzbergen, an archi-
pelago about 800 miles due north of
Norway Long q no-man's land, those
desolate islands within the Arctic Circle
acquired commercial value through the
discovery of rich coal deposits, worked by
citizens OF several nations, including
Russia. Norwegian sovereignty over Spitz-
bergen, renamed Svalbard, was decided on
by international agreement in 1920. To
this pact Soviet Russia was not a party,
though Moscow subsequently acknowledged
Its validity. During and since the late
war, Moscow has been pressing Norway
for airbase rights and other concessions on
SnityhnrCor h1t witt n. 4.
good reason to believe that those demands,
plus others regarding Northern Norway,
are being renewed.
Another Norwegian dependency Is Jan
Mayen, bleak island lying between Nor
way and Greenland, some distance north
OF Iceland. Economically worthless, Jan
Mayen In Soviet hands would be an air
and submarine threat to the Atlantic sea
lanes. The same is much truer of Iceland,
where the United States recently relin-
quished its wartime base rights, largely
owing to Communist agitation in Iceland
itself
Lastly, there Is Greenland, Danish
dependency. Similar Communist aeita-
ton IN Denmark was largely responsible
for efforts of the Danish government to
get the United States to give up the base
rights likewise acquired during wartime,
though this issue remains unsettled.
Obviously, the question OF Scandinavia
and its dependencies Is a major feature in
the current tension between Soviet Russia
and the western democracies. Russian ag-
gression would inevitably present a chal-
lenge which the western powers could not
sidestep.
Informed that the United States