European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse President Juho pm Sitivi told Stalin Finland s aim was to stay outside International Marshall Gustav Mannerheim finnish War time Lea Der left for Stockholm in midst of crisis. Communist Yrjo Leino minister of the Interi or May head government if a red coup occurs. Finland on the russian Hook a Judy bar Deiv Stalin s note to president Paas Kivi urging the negotiation of a comprehensive defense pact Between their countries has evoked a National crisis and sent some finns scurrying for the swedish Border Helsinki to officials in the United states state department worked late into the night in november 1939. The were drawing up a report for Secretary of state Hull. With All the information at their command the report demonstrated that there would be no War As. A result of the ticklish situation which had risen Between Finland and its Burly Eastern neighbor the soviet Union. About the same hour these two men were completing this remarkable document the first bombs were screeching into Helsinki and the Russo finnish War was Well underway. The report was rescued and destroyed before it Ever reached Hull s desk. This incident is being underscored in the notebooks of the Many people whore attempting to forecast what will happen now. For in the new crisis that has Arisen to beset the already hard pressed finnish Are Many of the a gigs. And feelings comparable tothe situation in 1939. Yet Given All these it is almost impossible to predict what either the russians or the finns will Ever do h Ith each other. The Case of the state department experts has an interesting sequel. After the War later one of the men involved was relating it to a finnish official. Don t feel too badly the finn said that same night our army general staff Drew up a similar report. It listed All the reasons Why there would be no i attack by the soviet Union. The army was less fortunate than you. Their report actually did reach the Ever since the armistice of 1944 which took Finland out of the War the soviet Union has been pressing for mate control of finnish affairs. It has built a. Big naval base at pork Ala Only ten Miles from Helsinki s outskirts and introduced economic missions with diplomatic status. On a somewhat similar level it has sent a reported three Hun dred tourists to assist the local communists in their arguments. Using the reparations agreement As a powerful lever it has fostered Finland s economic dependence on soviet imports and tied up the country with a Trade treaty As Broad in scope As any in Europe. Now in a personal letter from Generalissimo Stalin which is a pretty potent argument in Eastern Europe these Days the russians have proposed to the finnish government that the should sign something still More comprehensive. The note suggested the agreements reached with Romania and Hungary As of the most apparent things in Helsinki is that the people Are not interested in a new agreement. On the other hand they Are not convinced they can avoid it. Like Dickens Micawber they would prefer to hold off in Case anything turned is no suggestion of panic in Helsinki. The wealthy in these Days of astronomical taxes Are fewer than Ever. Most of them have seen the handwriting on the Wall for a Long time. They would like to leave but Are prevented by cur Rency controls that make it impossible for them to recover what remains of their Fortune. Handfuls of refugees have tried to skip across the land Borders with Sweden near Haparanta. One Manin a mood of Black pessimism told me three million people would leave her tomorrow if they would open up the from time to time whispered voices say How Lucky you Are to be american or British. Most people seem to share the attitude of the army officer who said simply we be had hard times before. Well go through them again if we must. So far destiny has been outside Finland Many people talk in terms of a new Czecho Here in Helsinki the impression grows that whatever Hap pens it will differ greatly from the coup in Prague. From the viewpoint of the finnish people it will either be much better or much worse either concessions to the fierce and stubborn finnish nationalism or subjugation once and for is ridiculous to talk of organized armed opposition to any soviet the treaty Finland has a tiny army of three divisions and an air Force of sixty planes none of which is permitted to be fitted for bombs. Some army officers tried to hide weapons at the end of the 1944 fighting. It seems not to have. Been any organized plot but rather a widespread individual Effort. The communists were Able to Force this into the open and More than two thousand officers were retired from Active service. Communist control of the state police including an insidious secret army made this possible. As in other countries it. Is the Branch of the government they Are most eager to control. At the head of the police is Yrjo Leino Finland s most important communist today. Fifty one year old agricultural expert he spent a Good number of years under ground before the War. He became Dep Uty minister of social welfare after the War. Later in one of the subsequent Cabinet reshuffles he was made minister of the Interior. Leino s ties with the soviet Union Are More tha n formal. His wife Hertta whom Many consider to be the Power behind the so called throne is the daughter of Otto Kuusinen finnish born Leader who became head of the soviet Republic in the areas of Karelia which Finland was compelled to surrender to Russia in 1944. Leino s popular backing is smaller than his comparable in most countries of Eastern of party strength vary. They run from 28,000 to 45,000. In any event it is Only Small percentage of Finland s voting of office he seems to have been More popular than in. There is Grum bling among the fringe at least about ministerial communism and Why Leino should have so Many guards and a private Railroad car. There is also query Why Hertta should have a new fur coat when most of the people can not even buy underclothes. This grew so loud not Long ago that Leino s wife was compelled to make a Public explanation. If a coup occurs Leino would most Likely be at its head. The situation Here however is somewhat different than czech one. Although the communists control the police they do not control the courts. Their hold on the labor unions is much less secure. By far the largest portion of the country people Are Independent Small landowners who never been very Good communist material. Finland s government has a Strong leftist cast. Yet Only three of eighteen Cabinet members Are outright communists and Only three others Are admitted fellow travellers. The rest watched what happened in Prague with Clear eyes. Even should Moscow s demands prove extremely distasteful these men Are unlikely to resign and leave their offices to be occupied in their absence by com. Monist appointees. Backing the government is a parliament of two Hundred members Only one fourth of whom Are communist or communist Allied. This one fourth has come out boldly for a military pact wit Russia. The rest have said flatly that they Are against it. This was the Gist of president s reply. Regardless of what the finnish delegation in Moscow May sign or be forced to accept the agreement still must be ratified by the diet. To turn it Down might Well result in a form of National Hari Kiri but there Are Man people who seem to prefer that to com plete submission. Whatever one May feel about the Long Range View of soviet policy it has always been sensitive to it sown Best immediate interests. This is another reason Why disrupting action seems less Likely in Finland than else where along the Iron curtain Inland has made much of its conscientious payment of its War reparations. The truth seems to be that Finland is better equipped to Pathan most of the other countries under obligation to the soviet Deal has been a raw one from the finnish viewpoint. The stipulate three Hundred million dollars in raw materials and manufactured goods turned out to be three Hundred million at prewar prices almost six Hundred million at the current prices. Finland is paying in supplies which the soviet Union needs. Only a third of the total is Timber and related materials. The rest is Industrial goods. The mos certain Way to throw this economic machine out of gear altogether and to halt the flow to the soviet Union would be military occupation or civil is made of Finland s traditional hatred of the russians. It is much More accurate to say that there have been number of Sharp Short lived attempts to Russi Anize and More recently to soviet ize Finland during the one Hun dred and forty years that the two countries have been closely related. In the intervals there has been a paternal relationship which has permitted tax exemptions Domestic autonomy and even under the tsars allowed the development of some of the most progressive institutions in Europe. Fin land in 1936, for example was the first country to establish Universal suffrage Moscow never yet has broken with historical tradition. Its foreign policy Aims Are not much different today than they were one Hundred years ago. The tendency to look on Finland As a spoiled and troublesome grand duchy rather than a potential or actual enemy still persists among Many russians. Moscow has accused the finnish government of stalling. Moscow Seldom has been mor Correct. Every conceivable Effort is being made in Helsinki to postpone the ultimate decision. Finland s leaders Are sin Cere in saying they want full and Frank relations with the soviet Union but they Are equally As sincere when they insist that is All they want nothing More. Weekend april 1�, 1mi
