Evening star., 1949-03-06

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participate in the forthcoming dil
ect, will join the North Atlantic
the SwedeS, now standing someWl
policy in which they have no great
confidence, will from this time or
feel increasing pressure to do the
same-so much so that they may
In fact, do it before the year ends
The basis for this statement Is
cross-section of scandinavian
opinion expressed to the writer
along with group OF other
American newspapermen, during
a months tour of Denmark
Sweden and Norway, just com
pleted in that order. Although
the primary purpose of the tour
was to observe the progress being
made in the three countries under
the European Recovery Program,
that aspect of the story-although
highly important is over
shadowed by the delicate interna-
tional political situation in which
Scandinavia finds itself. The
Danes, the Swedes and the Nor
wegians are experiencing one OF
the mildest winters in over 100
years, but they feel the cold
breath of Russia on their necks,
and they tend, quite naturally, to
brood more over that than over
the rather dry and complex prob
lens involved in their economic
future.
Safety Formula Wanted
What all Scandinavians want,
of course, is security and peace.
Living as they do. however, in a
region of prime strategic signlf1-
canoe in the air age. they are
inescapably caught in the cold war
between East and West, and their
problem-a decidedly difficult one
is to find a formula for safety
To that end, Sweden some months
ago proposed that the three coun-
tries should weld themselves to-
gether in an alliance of mutual
military assistance. In one re-
spectvin the provision to COM
init the >Swedes to render immedi-
ate armed aid to the Danes OF
Norwegians in case of attack from
any quarter-the proposal marked
a far-reaching new departure In
Swedish foreign policy. But at
the same time, although based on
the assumption of receiving an
adequate supply of armaments
from the United States. 1t was put
forward by Sweden as an ar
rangement that would have to be
dissociated from the Atlantic pact.
In other words, although ask
ing that the proposed Scandlna-
Wan union receive a kind OF
peacetime military lease-lend from
the West, the Swedish govern
ment insisted that the union
would have to hold itself severely
aloof from the allied Western
powers, making no commitments
to them and having no common
defense discussions with them
even though getting armaments
from America. In the circum-
stances, it is not surpriSing-no1
even to large number of inf1uen-
tial SWedes-that the United States
threw cold water on the idea. MOI
is it surprising that Norway
after weighing the pros and cons
with great care and after Foreign
Minister H. M. Lange's recent
conversations in London anc
Washington-has given the lead
to Denmark in concluding thai
more safety can be found in forth
right association with the Atlantic
pact than in going along with
Sweden's effort to make Scandi-
navia a sort of tight-rope walker
oriented to the West and leaning
upon it for support, yet loath te
talk security with it lest Russia
take offense.
In fairness to the Swedish gov
ernment, however, there is ground
for saying that one must sympa-
thize with its cautious position
even when disagreeing with it. TIC
begin with, as between East ano
West. there is no doubt that the
Swedes are overwhelmingly pro-
West. But they are also uncom-
fortably close to the Soviet Union
and they have it forever on their
minds that neighboring Finland
which was once part of Sweden
could be taken over within
matter of hours by the Red Army
They have it forever on Their
minds, too, that if that happened
their own country, despite its
smart air force of some l8 COM
bat groups and despite its ability
to mobilize a good army of 700,-
600 men "a tenth of the popula-
tom, might be overrun long be-
fore the Atlantic powers coulc
come to it's rescue. That is why
all of Sweden's political parties
and the great bulk of the Swedish
people, even If they have theil
fingers crossed, stand behind the
governments present policy
Wholly apart from their deeply
rooted psychological disposition tt
be neutral in view of their rela'
lively happy experience in thu
First and Second World Wars
they are UNDERSTANDABLE inclined
to bend over backward now tt
avoid any step that might provoke
the Kremlin to move In on the
Firms and then on them.
Minority Favors Pact
Yet there is substantial mi.
nority in Sweden vigorously ir
favor of prompt Swedish associa.
tion with the Atlantic pact. Thus
though by no means a beater o1
drums. Dagens Nyheter, the coun-
try's biggest newspaper. has beer
arguing, along with three of foul
smaller contemporaries, for a re-