CHANGED CONDITIONS IN NORTHERN EUROPE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13234, 9 January 1941, Page 6

CHANGED CONDITIONS IN NORTHERN EUROPE

ISOLATED SCANDINAVIA NURSES’ STRONG FEELING AGAINST THE GERMANS

Scandinavia is isolated from the outside world. Denmark and Noiway are occupied. Sweden and F inland. though still retaining their independence. are caught last in the economic web of the totalitarian system and are forced to adopt an outwardly friendly attitude toward the dictators.

Behind this facade, conditions in Northern Europe have been changing rapidly. Something of that change is indicated in an uncensored letter received in America recently from Stockholm. It reads in part;

“It is practically impossible to get word to one’s outside friends concerning anything relating to conditions within the country to-day. The Germans are complaining about everything that goes out from here, so to avoid trouble the Swedish people have become very reserved and cautious.

“But Sweden is in a rather awkward position at present. There is a certain clique which still is very Nazi, and quite a number of officers among them, but on the other hand the Germans are getting so disliked. People who have always been pro-German and great admirers of everything German, have now turn ed bitterly against them. Perhaps there is a little fear in it, too. Feeling on West Coast

“A little while ago I dined with some friends. One was an engineer and director of a technical factoryHe has lived much in France and used to visit every year both the Leipzig Fair and the British Industries Fair. He has admired the Germans for their efficiency and has always criticised the British for their slow way of doing things. Now he said one can’t be pro-German. He and his wife had spent some weeks on the Swedish West Coast and he told me that they hate the Germans there; Of course, the fishermen there have lost their trade through the Germans, but he said that they were nearly horrified at the strong feelings among the people. “As so many of the Germans

spoke perfect Norwegian, there have been many different versions about the so-called “war children.’ These were mostly Austrians-'who after the last war were sent to Norway and Sweden and there given a home and fed. They had now come back to fight their foster country. This has been much written up here but in different ways.

“Liberation” of Norway

“The other day I was told from a very reliable source how it was. The Germans had invited all Austrians who had been in Norway as children if they would not come and help to liberate the Norwegians. When they came to Norway and they found that they had to fight the Norwegians many refused and quite a big number of them committed suicide, which is a fact. . . . “The latest events in Norway have aroused Swedish sympathies. I am surprised how openly the newspapers have been allowed to write about the ‘German failure in Norway.’ The Germans tried so hard to get the King to abdicate. I was told in the summer that Terboven (by the way, the Norwegians call him Verboten)' came to Stockholm in secret and that the Germans tried to make the Swedish King put pressure on the Norwegian King and make him abdicate. . . . “Everyone who has been in Denmark says now that the Danes have lost their smile. Whatever happened, they always used to be gay and cheerful, but now they don’t laugh any more. In the beginning one heard a lot of funny stories, typical Danish jokes about ‘their’ Germans, but that has disappeared altogether. A Danish businessman who came to see my brother wept in the office over the conditions in Denmark.

“All who come from Finland say that the Finns are very afraid of the Russians and they seem fully to expect that before long Russia is going to take the whole of Finland. Many say it will happen before the end of this year. The German commanding general in Denmark told a Danish high officer, who visited here recently and through whom I heard it, that Germany had told Russia that they would prefer no change in Finland, but that they would not interfere, if Russia occupied Finland, but that they had to stop at Tome Alv, and if they touched Sweden, here would be war, because Germany would not allow anyone to interfere with Sweden. This is how it was told me.~but I don’t know how much one can trust it. c Conditions iin Esthonia

“A cousin who has just managed to get out of Esthoixia' says we can not imagine how terrible the con-

ditions arc there. They had to leave their home and everything, but were just grateful to come out alive. . . - “A few days ago I spoke w.tn a gentleman who has been much »u Russia and he has had something to do with this new treaty with Russia. When I said that I. supposed that now they would be very busy, he «niri ves. as long as it lasts. He

«aid yes. as long a also said that the Russians are ve

diappointed the way the war is solus. They don't think the British and the Germans are smashing np each other quick enough. They had expected it to he over sooner, so that they could have stepped in. Y e agreed that it was rather comical how both Germany and Russia are getting all they can out of Sweden preparing for a war with each other. . . .

“Going to my office yesterday I

was very amused, on passing the German Tourist Office window, to see a big map of England. It was surrounded by German war photographs and the latest German and Italian communiques. I presume they have pins ready to mark the German invasion! On the way home I went round by the Italian bureau to see if they had a map of Egypt, but not yet! At a. dinner the other night a high Swedish officer said that in his opinion England had already won the war.”