Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1948-06-01

list menace is right upon them.
Under the superefficient leader
ship of the Finnish wood indus
tries magnate, Mountain Counsel
lor Lauri Kivinen, Finland is up to
schedule with it's reparations defiv-
cries, which will be paid off by
1852 if the Russians and their
Finnish Communist allies do not
sabotage the program by strikes.
Moreover. the Governor of the
Bank of Finland, Sakari Tuom-
ioja, merely awaits the consent of
the Import and Export Bank be-
fore Finland begins to enjoy the
support of about $1OO,0OO,OOO new
credits. Already 25,OOO,OOO-
pound Anglo-Finnish Trade Agree
ment is in operation for 194S.
The shops are filling up visibly
with hitherto unobtainable require
ments, such as clothing, automo-
biles, and toilet requisites. Food is
plentiful at high but possible
prices. In fact, but for the disturb
ing influence of the local Com
munists, Finland can see its way
ahead toward a happy and I'M
trammeled future.
In these circumstances the Com
munists cannot hope to make
Roadway at the forthcoming cleo
ton and must anticipate an ad-
verse landslide at the polls. The
municipal elections were sure in
dication of disaster for the ex-
IRENE Left last autumn. The re-
cent Soviet demand for a military
pact on the Hungarian and Ro-
manian model has merely made
doubly sure a Communist defeat
in any genuinely free election in
the immediate future.
Consequently, many Firms are
wondering whether the Commun-
lists will tamely tolerate free cleo
tions. Doubts have been encour-
aged by Communist activities dur
ing and after the Moscow nego-
E For l days Social-Democrat dep
"uties did not sleep at home but
changed their addresses nightly
=lest they should be seized by the
under cover of dark
Sness. The Communists organized
a march on Helsinki from 20 diff
ferent directions Communis S
.hired omnibuses in which to con-
ncentrate on Helsinki. They also
lrew up lists of prominent Films
: who were to be prescribed. A rad
g. cal purge of the police, press,
Army and Parliament was advo-
Gated openly on Communist plat
EformS. In fact, there were all the
=signs of an imminent Communist
:putsch in the making. 1t has only
=been stopped up to date by the
of the President and
=the tough wakefulness of the Fin
nish people,
Communist efforts to establish
= cells in the police force and to
capture the Finnish sports organ
izations have been exposed. Fin
a nisb troops daily march through
. the center of Helsinki with band
in front and automatic weapons
at the hip in order to show the
population - and the Commun-
lists in particular - that the au-
; thorities will stand no nonsense.
Membership of the Friends of
the Soviet Union Society is drop
kping so rapidly that the organi-
Jzation no longer pays its way, de-
spite a $4,000 annual subsidy
from Moscow.
Difficulty is found in recruiting
enough young Firms to fill the
GLASSES at the Communist Train
ing College at the Partys luxur-
'ious confiscated country house in
( Tavastland.
! What are the Communists going
to do about it? Most Firms assert
!, that the Communists will dare do
!. nothing, but this opinion is not
shared by the majority of quail
fled outside observers.
t., tho vr.sopt aila,,,y,o ~ lDoiyc