Evening star., 1949-02-07
Scandinavian Press
Takes Russia 10 Task
On Norway Pact Offer
by the Asseeietsd Press

by the Asseeietsd Press
OSLO. Norway, Feb. 7.-Scandi,
navia's Communist press de,
fed Russia today with an editoria
drubbing her offer Of q Soviet.
Norwegian non-agression pact.
At the same time. q Swedish,
Foreign Once spokesman an.
nounced Russia has not vet Of
fered any similar pact to Sweden
Such q move had been predicted
In Moscow. Political observer,
here declared any such offer to
Sweden wnnn!.aa ne rejected by the
government as violating sweden'a 4
traditional neutral position In big
power alignments.
Virtually all the Swedish nom
Communist press joined in de-
nouncing Russia's overtures to
Norway, accusing the Russians Of
habitually violating treaties. The
government newspapers of Den
mark avoided editorial comment,
but the opposition press In Copen.
hagen, like the Swedish news
papers. said Russia has violated
such pacts.
Norway Determined.
The Oslo press was united In
saying the Russian note offering a
pact could not change Norway's
determination to participate In q
Western Alliance such as the pro-
posed North Atlantic Pact. on
cially Norway remains interested
in the possibility Of joining the
Western powers In q defense
chain, despite Russia's second note
to the Norwegian government con-
tanning implicit warnings against
such q move.
The editorial attack on Russia
loosed by the Swedish press prob
ably was the heaviest here since
the war. All the newspapers said
Russia previously had violated five
pacts of nonaggression-with Fin
land. Estonia. Latvia. Lithuania
and Poland. The newspapers also
agreed in general that the cold
war now Is being fought over
Scandinavia and Norway would
hold her ground against Russian
pressure.
Moves Called Disgusting.
Terming the Soviet moves "ut-
terly disgusting" the liberal Da-
gems Nyheter said:
THE Soviet government by its
own acts clearly demonstrated
that 1t deems a pact Of nonaggres-
sion OF no greater value than the
paper on which 1t Is written"
The conservative Svenska Dag
bladet said the similarity with
the diplomacy of Hitler goes 50
far as to revive his special fond
ness for weekend actions"
Morgontidningen. newspaper of
the Socialist government. also
compared Soviet diplomacy with
that Of the Nazis and voiced ap-
prehension on the rapidly mount
ing pressure from the East"
In Copenhagen. the conservative
Tidene said the Soviet
notes reflect that mutual distrust
which has split the world into East
and West" 1t added that inter-
national guarantees have depre-
ciated much since Hitler carried
out q systematical devaiuatlen Of
even the most solemn promises."
Bad Experience In Pacts.
The liberal Politiken said: Here
in Scandinavia we have had some
bad experience as regards the
and validity Of such
pacts. This is the case with both
Denmark and Finland, the later
having had a non aggression
treaty with the Soviet Union when
it was attacked in 1940."
Nationaltidende, also conserva-
i've, said the Soviet peace often
;ive" did not carry the conviction
If peaceful aims This paper
,lso compared the situation with
hat of 1910, saying that then. as
low, such pacts must be inter-
oreted by small powers concerned
Is "non-defense pacts."
when dictators talk about
7eace. small countries have to
their defense" the news
paper said.
The Oslo newspaper Arbeider-
oladet. representing Norway's
dominant Labor Party, said a
non-aggression pact with Russia
would not be as valuable as a
North Atlantic pact.
Clear and Sincere Reply.
The paper said the government
should be expected to give Russia
an answer lust as clear and
sincere as last time"
Norway answered a note from
Russia last week by saying she
felt it necessary to investigate the
Atlantic pact but would not grant
bases on her soil to foreign
powers. /
All the newspapers stressed that
Norway wanted peace and under
standing with the Soviet Union.
In spite of the backing Of the
press, and apparently of the Nor
wegian people, political circles