NO CLAIM ON AALANDS

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22850, 25 October 1939, Page 9

NO CLAIM ON AALANDS

Finland And The Soviet HOPES HELD FOR

SETTLEMENT

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (Received October 24, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON. October 24. The Helsinki correspondent • of the “Daily Mail” says it is understood that Russia is no longer claiming the Aaland Islands, but is merely asking Finland not to fortify them and to remove the present defences. Russia, according to the Moscow radio, has also dropped her demand for a military alliance. She will be content if Finland pledges not to participate in any combination of Powers directed against the Soviet. According to a Berlin message, the Official German News Agency says, that M. Stalin and M. Molotov, the Soviet Foreign Commissar, con- - ducted the conference between Finland and the Soviet. At Helsinki a Foreign Office spokesman said that reports from Moscow showed that the negotiations were proceeding normally and justified hopes of a settlement. The last-minute inclusion in the Finnish delegation to Moscow of , the Minister for Finance (M. Tanner), who is the Social Democrat leader, means that every shade of Finnish opinion is represented. M. Tanner and M. Paasikivi, who heads the delegation, were co-signatojries of the Russian-Finnish peace treaty of 1920.

The delegation’s departure from Helsinki led to renewed tension throughout Finland. Soviet observers express astonishment at the extent and thoroughness of the Finnish mobilisation and general preparedness. Russia is not seeking to establish troops on Finnish territory, as was done in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

RUSSIA’S PACT WITH

LATVIA

“NO DOMINATION BY

THE SOVIET”

RIGA, October 23.

The Latvian Foreign Minister (M. Munters), in a speech, said: “Neither our talks in Moscow nor the tenor of our pact with Russia _ revealed any tendency to domination- The political efforts of Russia and also those of her western neighbours were dictated by a desire to keep out of war. _ . “Our pact, based on the principle of the integrity of Russia’s Baltic neighbours, is necessary for Russia. We could have refused the treaty, but it was impossible not to recognise Russia’s interest in our situation. Russia cannot have any interest in Sovietising Latvia, which would be contrary to the desire of our people, would destroy mutual confidence, and create complications harmful to Russia’s security.”

REPATRIATION OE GERMANS

“Essentially financial

OBJECT”

LONDON, October 23.

The “Financial News” states that the economic and financial clauses of the agreement concluded on October 5 for the repatriation of Germans in Estonia show that Germany’s policy has an essentially financial object. Instead of using the minorities as a pretext for aggression against the countries of their residence, the Nazi Government is now seeking to seize their wealth to accumulate a huge supply of foreign exchange assets for the Reich’s war requirements. At the same time, the pooling of the minorities’ wealth under official German control, is calculated to increase German -influence in the countries concerned. The importance of the Estonian agreement lies in the possibility that it may serve as a model for German agreements with other countries The Germans’ total assets in the Baltic States, Denmark, Italy, Jugoslavia, Rumania, and Hungary, are estimated about £ 1.000.000,000. It officially stated that the German levy on Jewish fortunes is being increased by 5 per cent, from No\ ember 15 to 25 per cent. The original levy was designed to collect £ 80,000.000 as a fine for the murder of the German official, von Rath, by a Jew named Grynszpan in Paris, in October, 1938. but it is assumed that the increase 'is necessary because the total sum has not yet been realised. The Budapest correspondent of “The Times" says that rumours of the evacuation of German minorities from Balkan and Danubian countries to the Protectorate and Poland are causing panic in Swabian villages in south-eastern Hungary, where the Germans have been settled since the eighteenth century. The villagers of several districts have driven out the German minority organisers bodily. DANISH AIR SERVICE TO BRITAIN COPENHAGEN. October 23. Denmark has obtained permission to run a passenger air service between Kaslrup and England, on condition that the aeroplanes caii eitner at Brussels or Amsterdam to obtain guidance for the route. There will be no windows in the aeroplanes, as a precaution against espionage.