Stockholm, Feb. 20.
Before issuing the extraordinary proclamation declaring that Sweden will not intervene with military forces in behalf of Finland in the war against Russia, King Gustaf took the initiative in assembling the Crown Council in extraordinary session, He said that he felt the statement last week of the Premier, Per Albin Hanssen, did not sufficiently clarify that the King and the entire Cabinet were in agreement. Therefore, he declared, there was an open division of public opinion over the question of aid to Finland, The King directly inferred that other powers have indicated they would give active military aid for Finland would be the casus belli which would involve Sweden in the Buropeart war.
It was disclosed that King Gustaf went against the wishes of both the Cabinet and the Crówn Council in Order to inform the people of the reasons for the Government's decision.
The "Stockholm Allehandra" yesterday said the "alarm clouds over Scandinavia are becoming very dark."
In an editorial the newspaper said, "From the east the Russian attacks on Finland grow more and more dangerous for Sweden and in the west. an event has occurred which not only sharpened the bitterness between England and Germany, but placed Norway im an extraordinarily dif-cult position. But the consequences of the Altmark affair affect the whole Scandinavian neutrality, not only Norway. Meanwhile, Norway can answer that nobody can protect herself against conscious violation of neutrality with superior force.'—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.