FERMENT IN U.S.A.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 December 1939, Page 7

FERMENT IN U.S.A.

PARTISAN CONTROVERSY OVER BREAK IN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA. ATTITUDE OF REPUBLICANS. WASHINGTON. December 4. A rupture in Russian-American relations or recall of the Ambassador appears unlikely at present in the view of authoritative quarters. The Administration feels it would bring advantage neither to the United States nor to world peace. The pressure in favour of a break is increasingly partisan. The Secretary of State. Mr Cordell Hull, at a Press conference said the question of extending the Neutrality Act combat area to include Russia has not been considered. The only further step likely is simultaneous Pan-American condemnation of the invasion. There is a concerted drive by the Republicans, who are making Rus-sian-American relations, a political issue, inferring that President Roosevelt's recognition of Russia is partly responsible for the invasion. Senator Vandenberg, who is a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, urges the withdrawal of the American Ambassadar from Moscow and describes the 1933 recognition of Russia as a blunder, growing worse each year. He urges an official inquiry to determine whether the Russian pledges to the United States have not been travested and whether United States recognition should not be permanently withdrawn. Meanwhile the Secretary to the Treasury. Mr Henry Morgenthau. admits he is studying the Finnish debt question, but he declines to comment on reports that there is a likelihood of a moratorium offer by the United States. REPORTS BY RADIO FIGHTING IN THE PETSAMO REGION. , FINLAND MINING GULF OF BOTHNIA. The following Daventry reports have been robroadcast by the New Zealand national stations: — The Finnish authorities state that from a military point of view the situation may be regarded as satisfactory. There is no news of any fighting in the central and southern sector of Finland. North of Lake Lagoda, the snow, several feet deep, is holding up Russian advances. In Helsinki there have been no air raids. The trains and busses are running as usual. Most of the civil population has now left the capital. More Russian activity is reported in the arctic region of Petsamo. The Russians claim an advance of 20 miles towards the area where the main Finnish forces are concentrated, in an attempt to push the Finns into Norway. The Finns state (hat the Russian flanking movement has failed. They took many Russian prisoners numbers of whom were suffering from lack of food. Finland is mining the waters surrounding the Aaland Islands in addition to the fortification measures previously /announced. It is understood that Sweden is not protesting against the mine-laying. The Scandinavian countries arc to have another discussion at Oslo before the League of Nations meets. Sweden is calling a partial mobilisation. bringing the total up to 150.000. This is four time above normal. Mr Chamberlain stated in the House of Commons that Finland’s application to the League of Nations was macle on hoi- own initiative. He is to make a statement on ll»e situation. There has been another anti-Soviet demonstration of students in Rome and Milan —the third —over the Finnish invasion.