stability and economic prosperity in europe called for the creation of a common free trade area. but it was not enough just to do away with customs duties, since union was necessary in other areas too. his list included currency, prices, industrial and agricultural production and communications. monnet stressed that there could be no peace in europe, if states continued to be structured around the sort of national sovereignty that leads to the politics of privilege and economic protectionism. if the states of europe again cut themselves off from each other, it would again be necessary to amass huge armies. and before long we would be back at war. coincidentally, in the summer of 1944 paasikivi was discussing the fate of small countries. his reading of history had made him a pessimist : " states act for raison d'etat, i. e. in the interests of the state. it is frightful, blood - red ". he went on : " to date no system has been devised that would constrain raison d'etat and protect other countries from them. " where monnet spoke of nationalism and national sovereignty, paasikivi wrote about raison d'etat. ultimately, they were both talking about the same thing. paasikivi saw the key issue as how to limit raison d'etat, whereas monnet saw the basic problem as how to limit national sovereignty. paasikivi's starting point was the lot of the small country, but his thinking went further than this : " solving the problem of limiting raison d'etat and its relationship to morality is an issue that, although primarily affecting the future of small countries, will ultimately also determine the future of larger countries and the whole of mankind. " history had made paasikivi not only pessimistic, but also cautious. when monnet was accused of being over - optimistic in connection with his numerous initiatives, he always replied : " i am not an optimist, i am determined ". for his part, schuman summarized his own thinking in his unpublished memoirs : " the harsh lessons of history have taught me, as a man from a border area, that i should be wary of hasty improvisation and over - ambitious projects, but they have also taught me that when an objective judgment, founded in mature reflection and based on actual facts and the overriding interests of mankind, leads us into new or even revolutionary endeavors, we should remain steadfast and persevere with

the time. helo had been appointed ambassador in the new wave after the war as one of the so - called six. 2 helo's relations with the foreign minister were difficult, but paasikivi protected helo right until the end of his period of office. according to brotherus, the foreign minister even went as far as asking the french ambassador in helsinki to cancel schuman's planned visit to finland. paasikivi does state in his diaries that the foreign minister, torngren, said on 24 march, in connection with his weekly visit, that the foreign trade association wanted to make a big event out of schuman's visit, but that the government was not interested in organizing any dinner reception or in devoting any other particular attention to schuman. despite the awkwardness of the arrangements, schuman came to finland on a visit in april, three months after he had left the government. schuman's visit was given enormous coverage in the press. in his presentation schuman stressed that all wars had had their beginnings in precisely six states. " by defusing this hotbed of war, we have done something really fundamental for peace in europe, " he stated. the government did not in fact organize a dinner or devote any particular attention to schuman, unless one counts the supper invitation by social affairs minister, vaino leskinen, at the helsinki community hall, where schuman was to meet some trade union people. president paasikivi was, however, present at schuman's presentation and also had an audience with him. paasikivi wrote in his diaries about the pleasant impression schuman had made on him. schuman believed that the antagonism between france and germany would gradually be removed and that the coal and steel community would be a step towards this. paasikivi went on : " i explained the six is the name given to an opposition group of social democrats who left the party and allied themselves with the communists in the elections after the war. my own view and the position of finland. he understood it well. schuman is indeed an intelligent and charming man ". it was typical of the period that pravda reported on the visit a week later. according to pravda, schuman's visit was undeniably connected with the discussions, which the right - wing socialists had launched, against stepping up trade between finland and the