Feb. 21.
The conference of the Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Norway and Sweden at Copenhagen over the week-end has brought about results which were easily to be anticipated, for in the communique which was issued after the meeting all that was stated was that which had been said individually by the leaders of the three conferring countries, The wish has been expressed for an carly and to the Finnish-Soviet hostilities, and a peaceful solution which would safeguard the entire independence of Finland. In addition to this the Foreign Ministers affirmed their unanimity with regard to neutrality, denying that their attitude was in any way due to pressure, and expressed their determination to demand respect for their neutral territories according to the rule of international law. They also decided to raise serious objections to, and try to remedy the violation of principles of international law in naval warfare, which inflicts considerable losses on neutral States, which only want to maintain their legitimate and necessary sea trade. They decided that their governments must support each other in negotiations with the belligerents on this subject, and the communique concluded that the Ministers were convinced. that, unless war ends before great disasters occur, relations between nations will be so embittered that a lasting solution will become dificult. They would, therefore, welcome all efforts to bring about negotiations among the belligerents with a view to a just and permanent peace. Finland is to be left to fight her own battle, despite the fact that it is the fight of the whole of Scandinavia. 'The fact that it was not included in the conference of ministers, though it was in the earlier meeting of the heads of the four States prior to the Soviet invasion, clearly demonstrates that the Finns are to' be left to their own devices, with the hope, of course, that they will win, and possibly also the desire that, in the event of defeat, a satiated Russia will Teave the conferring nations alone, even it only for the time being. Such aid as can be given to Finland will undoubtedly be given so long as the giving docs not irritate the Soviet or the Reich, The denial that the three Scandinavian countries have been subjected to pressure from any side must, of course, be accepted, but it must nevertheless be borne in mind, that while Pressure may not have been applied in the form of the spoken or written word, the proximity of such powerful and unserupulous neighbours as Russia and Germany constitutes in itself a form of pressure the im= portance of which cannot for one moment be denied. It will consequently take more than ile effort to convince the outside world that the policies of the Scandinavian countries are not formulated with a weather eye upon the potential threats to their existence which undoubtedly exist and which may be put into operation whenever it suits the purpose of M. Stalin or Herr Hitler, and there fis this further to be said about it: tread they never so lightly their very existence is imperilled until the Allies have by thei victory brought peace and stability to Europe, The intention of the Scandinavian nations to pursue a common policy of neutrality, impartially ahd independently with all States is most praiseworthy, but the realist will ask: can they possibly hope to do it? The question is answered by what has happened to neutrals since the commencement of hosies. Not one of the emphatic protests is- which have been made has secured the responsibility rests in precisely the slightest diminution of the campaign against their shipping which Germany has ruthlessly prosecuted from the very commencement of the war. Not one single representation on cognate subjects has secured anything but the polite murmurings of regret,—and that not too often,—and the immediate resumption of the practices against which objection has been raised. The Scandinavian countries are faced by two aggressor Powers determined to disregard the rights of neutrals so long os that course of conduct appears to give them any advantage in the struggle with the Allies, 'Those are the cold, unpleasant facts of the situation, and as' mat~ fers at present stand, Denmark, Norway and Sweden stand helpless before the Power which is busily engaged in destroying their shipping and ignoring those self-same neutral rights for which the Scandinavian Ministers have announced their intention to secure respect. Tt must be remembered that the old political values which secured for the smaller nation the right to live are in danger of being destroyed; they will, in fact, disappear should Germany prevail against the It has been contended by the German propaganda machine that it is the desire of the Allies to extend the theatre of war by bringing the Scandinavian countries into this war. Nothing is further from their wishes. With such an extension of hostilities would come the necessity of supporting Scandinavia in its Aight with Germany, and possibly Soviet Russia, and the disposition of their forees over large areas, together with the maintenance of Long lines of supply across the North Sea, which would only be maintained effectively by heavy concentration of naval forces in an area in which they are most vulnerable. It would be well nigh a dificult for the Allies to support their forces in Scandinavia should they have to be sent there, as it would be for Germany to main= tain an invading army in Great Britain which was one of the hare-brained schemes attributed to the fecund imagination of der Fuehrer. There is in fact no very substan-Uial guarantee that, should Herr Hitler and MI. Stalin decide upon onslaughts on Norway and Sweden, much could be done to assist them save to. make sure that upon the advent of peace they should have restored fo them whatever they may have suffered in the loss of territorial integrity. The conclusion of the ministerial communique includes the statement that unless the war ends before great disasters occur relations between nations will be so embittered that a lasting solution will be dificult. That is all too true, but the time has not yet come for discussions of peace. Herr Hitler made that quite plain in his latest broadcast; Allied statesmen have made it no less clear, for there can be no peace which is to be merely breathing space in preparation for another campaign of aggression by Germany, but one in which this menace shall be removed once and for all. War is becoming much too ¢x-pensive to permit Germany throwing Europe into it once each generation. It ly to be hoped that it will not be a peace of bittor~ ness, but if that is to be the only one which will' bring Europe security again, it can be the only one acceptable,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.