NO SHOTS FIRED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1939, Page 5

NO SHOTS FIRED

FINNISH REPLY TO SOVIET NOTE Withdrawal of Troops Offered PROVIDED RUSSIA DOES LIKEWISE INVESTIGATION BY. COMMISSION SUGGESTED (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, November 28. The Finnish Minister in Moscow has delivered Finland’s reply to the Note by the Soviet Premier alleging that four Red Army soldiers were killed by shells fired from the Finnish side of the frontier. „ , • , The reply states that no shots were fired on the Finnish side of the frontier, states a Helsinki message. “Therefore, Finland must reject the Soviet s protest, the Note continues. “The Government notes with satisfaction that the Soviet Government does not wish to exaggerate what it believed was a frontier incident. Finland is pleased to be able to remove the misunderstanding a day after receipt of the Soviet Note. The Helsinki correspondent of the British United Press says that the reply offers to withdraw the troops from the frontier provided that Russia does so in equal proportion and distance. It suggests that the matter should be handed over to a frontier commission and adds: “The accident may have occurred on the Russian side, but no inimical act was directed against the Soviet by Finnish forces.’’ The denial is supported by a log of the frontier guards before they knew about the controversy, recording seven shots and a number of hand grenade explosions on the Russian side of the border. The exact times and an estimate of the positions are given. , - The “New York Times’’ Moscow correspondent, Mr G. E. R. Gedye, says that if the Soviet is prepared for extremes she will certainly seize upon the Finnish Note’s allegation that Soviet artillery fired the shells as insolence justifying immediate action, but otherwise the suggestion of a mutual withdrawal of troops and an investigation by a mixed committee provides the means of a liquidation of the incident. The correspondent adds that considering the disproportion of the forces involved it is likely the Finns had most powerful backing to enable them to declare the Soviet allegations to be absolutely false.