With the mobilization of the Finnish army. and the evacuation of women, and children from three principal cities, Finland is putting herself in a position to defend herself should the present negotiations with Russia lead to hostilities. Up to the present the demands which the Soviet has made or is preparing to make have not yet been made public, but enough is known to show that present anxieties are justified. The entry of the United States into the matter with a demarche made to Moscow, expressing the hope to the Soviet Government that nothing will occur which may prejudice existing peaceful relations between the U.S.S R. and Finland, together with similar representations by Denmark, Norway and Sweden is sufficient indication of the gravity of the situation, Washington has a very great respect for Finland, and invasion of that country would undoubtedly arouse the greatest possible indignation. How far that is likely to influence the Kremlin remains to be seen. The case of the Scandinavian countries is very different. They see in the threat to Finland a threat to themselves, and political observers are now asking themselves how far the Soviet intends to go with respect to them. There are attractive prizes to be wrested from both Norway and Sweden, particular the iron supplies of the latter which might prove of great assistance to Germany, and are not to be ignored even by Russia herself, In addition to that the whole of the Scandinavian peninsula under the domination of Russia would place that country in an overwhelmingly dominant position visa-vis of Germany, and would in fact make the Baltic a Russian sea. The price which Herr Hitler is paying for non-aggression on the part of Russia seems for the moment to be without end, and the only real gainer from the contract up to the present has been M. Stalin, It remains to be seen what the Scandinavian Powers will do in the event of a further threat to their independence, which must eventuate if Finland is destroyed. That they would fight seems to be the most probable outcome of the present highly unsatisfactory position, and that they would be able to put up a hard fight seems more than likely. The demarche of the United States may have a decided moral effect upon the U.S.S.R., but it has to be remembered that the Kremlin is in a most advantageous position, and may be able to carry out its immediate intentions unless Finland, Norway and Sweden oppose a united front against the peril which threatens them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.