Sept. 29.
When the Finnish Government expelled the British Minister from Helsingfors, un~ Goubtediy at the instigation of the Germans, was certain. that sooner. or later the relations between Finland and Great Britain would have to be clarified, That has now Geen done ina Note, sent by the British Government through the Norwegian Minister fo the Finnish Government, in which it has Been made quite clear that, so long as Fin~ Tand is in alliance with Germany and is carrying on an aggressive war against and on the territory of an ally of Great Britain, His Majesty's Government are bound to consider Finland to be a member of the Axis, since it 3¢ Impossible to separate the war which Finland 1s waging against Russia from the general European war, That is the only. Mew which could possibly be taken, but it is with regret that the fact has now to be accepted that the Finns, for whom Britain and the United States have always had the highest regard, have now to be regarded as enemies, not only during the war, but when victorious peace comes to be negotiated.
Whatever might have been' the rights or wrongs of the Russo-Finnish war, the fact that Finland recommenced hostilities to re~ cover the territory which had, been taken from her can be understood. Had she endeavoured to do this single-handed, even though Russia were fighting Germany, there would. still have been considerable Uunder~ standing of the position, but directly Finland) permitted Germ an troops to enter her terri tory, and accepts fed their aid in the fight against Russia, she aligned herself with the 'Axis, and the future may prove that she has Sold herself into the Axis camp just as com pletely as any other country which the Germans have succeeded penetrating' peaceably.
Even that the British Government accept ted, -and refrained from action until it became clear that Finland was engaged not only in recover ving the territory Which she had lost but was actually invading purely Russian territory, Tt was, in the el cumstances, a display of patience of extraordinary degree, Nevertheless. His Majesty's Government is ready to overlook the Finnish act of discourtesy in the expulsion of the Minister and'to welcome an early restoration of normal diplomatic intercourse between the two countries.
Obviously that cannot be brought about Finland. terminates her hostilities against Russia, and rel tuishes all territory occupied beyond her 1939 borders. Even then full diplomatic relations carmot be restored 80 long as German troops are on Finnish sell, and it looks as though the end of the: war will have to be awaited before full sumption can be possible.
Tt is probable that the Finns have very little use for their German allies. A people, so democratically minded as they are, will not for one, moment accept the Nazi ideology willingly. There is, however, a grave danger that they may have it forced "upon them. Not perhaps at the moment, for the Germans are anxious that the Finns should play. the) game, which they certainly would-not do if the Nazis endeavoured to secure control of the country in the same manner as they have over other countries "which they have penetrated by fraud.
But there is not the slightest reason to believe that, if the Germans were able to fight the Russians to a standstill, and. ultimately beat them, the German troops which are already in Finland would be withdrawn, Indeed there is every ground for believing that they would remain.
'With @ German-controlled Finland and Sweden, if not controlled, at least subject to considerable Nazi pressure, the Baltic Sea would be transformed into' a German lake. That is quite plainly Hitler's plan and for the moment he has succeeded in bringing it about without seriously impairing Swed precarious neutrality. It {s a condition, how= ever, which will not be permitted to last. It is @ paradox that Britain and her Allies fare fighting just as much for Finnish freedom fas they are for the liberation of Italy, and it is only by an Allied victory that those two nations will ever be released from the yoke which the Germans have clamped upon At' the moment this may not be so] clear' to the masses in Finland as it is to those in Italy.
Tt is unknown what assurances regarding the future Hitler has given Finns, but there Is every reason to belfeve'that he will run true to form and ignore them directly he thinks it, suits his Purpose. He Is fighting to the last Finn, 5 he is to the last Rumanian and Hungarian, and as he hopes to with the last Bulgar.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.