Soviet troops in northern Finland turned their war machine toward the Swedish frontier and reached the village of Kuomolajaervi, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border, Their advance was achieved with great difficulty and they lost four machineguns, two quick-firing field guns and suffered heavy losses in manpower and motorized units. Finnish forces withdrew yesterday from the village of Unsikirko, near the coast in the Karelian Isthmus, and Valkijaerli village to the north, it was reported. The Red Army increased pressure in the drive toward Suojaervi. Near the shores of Lake Ladoga, Finnish forces retreated fighting. They withdrew from the Salmi and Suolapi villages after inflicting heavy losses on the numerically overwhelming Soviet troops.
Finnish troops prepared strong de. fences in the Petsamo-Salmojaervi nickel mining region while the Red Army rushed reinforcements. Local reports said these would not prove sufficient for an effective attack on Petsamo. The Petsamo nickel mines, known throughout Europe, are not yet threatened, The staff of the Finnish Legation in Moscow has been unable to leave the U.S.S.R. despite the combined efforts of the Finnish and Swedish Ministers. The whole staff of the Soviet Legation in Helsinki has left Finland already.
Finnish quarters had no doubt that Sweden would soon extend them material and moral help. If Sweden takes no definite and energetic mea sures to aid Finland, her prestige would be impaired and the danger over all Scandinavia increased, Soviet Radio today attempted for the first time to broadcast Soviet pro-
Moscow, Dec. 6.
The High Command of the Leningrad military district denied reports that_32 Soviet tanks were destroyed by Finnish troops. The report that sixteen Soviet planes were shot down since hostilities began was also denied, it being said that the Finns only destroyed two Soviet machines while eleven Finnish, planes were brought. down over Soviet territory.
The Command of the Baltic fleet denies the Finnish claim that the cruiser Kirov and a Soviet destroyer were sticcessfully shelled by Finnish artillery in Bange which, they pointed out, only have a range of 25 kilometres as against the 35 kilometres range of the guls of the Soviet cruiser, Atrocity stories about th> Finns and their cruel treatment of Soviet soldiers were featured in the Russian press yesterday, The official "Izvestia" war correspondent reported that water used for drinking purposes was poisoned by the Finns and that there are strange-looking bubbles" in it, Ambushes are plentiful and Soviet soldiers cannot even walk alone to the back of the front lines without suffering the penalty. This correspondent l added that notices had to he posted everywhere drawing attention to the numerous mines left behind by the Finns, The "Krasnaia Zviesda" (Red Star), newspaper of the Soviet Army, went one further and reported that in the Petrozavodsk region, a Soviet scout captured by the Finns was tortured cruelly in questioning.
Foreign observers commented succinctly on this sudden flood of atrocity Stories, pointed out that only a short while ago, Soviet newspapers them. selves warned their readers against "atrocity yarns invented by the capitalist press."—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.