Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1941. FINLAND’S DIFFICULT PART.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 June 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1941. FINLAND’S DIFFICULT PART.

(JN her own showing’, it is because the Soviet has begun a war against her that Finland is now more or less actively allied with Nazi Germany against Russia. This is Ihe account of the matter given by the Finnish President, in a statement reported at the end of last week' —a statement in which he said that “the genius of Hitler ami the German Reich stood at Finland s side in the light.'’ Full reason in any case appears for the concern expressed by the British Government at the attitude adopted by Finland, and also by Sweden (in allowing German troops to pass through her territory to Finland) to the RussoGerman war.

•Britain inevitably reserves the right to attack the Germans wherever they may be found, but the necessity of treating Finland to this extent as an enemy nevertheless will be regretted profoundly. Having been ruthlessly attacked ami despoiled by Russia. Finland plainly owes that country no consideration, but it may very reasonably be believed .-that her present course of action is accounted lor much less by a desire for revenge and the hope of recovering her lost territory than by her inability to resist, the pressure ol: Nazi Germany. An intelligent and progressive democracy, the people of Finland are well able to assess for themselves the true character ol the abominable policy of the Nazi dictatorship. They have apparently decided, however, that in tin 1 tragic dilemma by which they are now confronted it is better to co-operate .with the Nazis than Io attempt, io withstand the onset of the Nazi war machine.

Some details of the situation are as yet imperfectly defined, but while the Finns allege that they have been attacked by the Soviet it appears to be established that these attacks followed upon the admission of German forces to Finland and ilie use by Ihe Germans of Finnish airfields and other bases. No other course is open to Britain than Io attack the Germans wherever they may be found, but it is one of the greatest and most ironic tragedies of the war that the heroic Finnish people have aligned themselves, though almost certainly under duress, with the deadly enemies of democracy.

1.1, must, be hoped that good grounds exist for the opinion said to be entertained in London that there is no compelling need for Finland to depart from non-belligerency. The Soviet radio has stated that the Russian attack on Finland in 1939 was really directed against Germany and that it is still against Germany that Russia is-now fighting in Finland. It- might, serve an excellent purpose if the Soviet were to add to this statement an assurance of its readiness, when peace and stability have been restored, Io re-establish the Finnish frontier as it stood prior to the Russo-Finnish war of 1939.