Warning to Neutrals

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22908, 3 January 1940, Page 6

Warning to Neutrals

Amid the schorus uf conventional Year A- messages; r ol,hope and good- cheer i pom heads . of States,' the FrJme Minister of Denmark, Mr ' StaUning,. }!as struck a note of discordant frankness, “'r'am as-depressed about tbe future “as ever ! h&ve been,” he says, 11 and have long ceased: fo believe in. anything,” The Danish' i-';-* people have, it if true, more reason to despair . -of the than the people of any ether ' small State in' Europe. . Militarily, they §ye . helpless; for their: land frontier with Germany ■ ‘-■■/is. unfortified and - hag . no- natural'- barrier’s. - Strategic roads, built by German engineers and >- Uwith,German capital, link Denmark with Ger--1 many and .make possible a German military [ a mafter of hours, Denmark’s only defence against invasion l§ a nemaggres*, sion pact .with Germany, the value ,o| which is -indicated'fey, the late of Poland, Economic?, ally, Denmark Is -feeing ground between the, upper and nether miiiatonea ef the British -blockade and ,the German ggunter-blogkadii' Ahready her farpiing industries are in a dg^ perats piight ewing to partial loss °i the market; whtte h®? trad© has been severely Hit / by the f jrtensldn ef the British bioekade t§ ■ ; - German exporter , But plight differs • ' -.only ip degree from that of other small nputraD states in Europe, Per,',all 'of .them Mr Stau* ning’s qtaWment that ” small neutrals must go “ under.; if-the t war continues .to affect them as “it hast thusi far ! ’ js the plain truth, as also is his warning'that they “must hold-together or “go out^'tQgether.’ 1 Jf circumstantial a.ceount?can be apepfed,'Belgium and the Netherlands i ’ have faced. Vg realities e| their situation and 1 that an attack on one is ,gn attack gn both; Mr itatnwg’s appeal lor solids ' arity among since it is associated with 'A' reference \o tfee invasion-el Finland, is pp§f. < kddpegsgd 'more, particularly to /Sweden■’>nd‘ Norway During the Now Year, season of both these eeuntries , , : Teaffirp|jg,d- their; determination t.o remain meurtrai fai te the ounfliet' in Finland but * empbasjijpdihoir determination to help, Finland - with w|& aupphea- {ft must be -obvious.-hew-ever/ tif|tj.a / country of-Jesa than, 4,Q0Q,0Q0 In- 1 however fgenerously supplied with mupition^by’those whose battle iM§ fighting,' • 1 cahn{jt^bl|?Alinhde|lhite}y. against a country, % of^ ifl6.oJo,9oQ{3nhahifahts,,. Py their present merely, buying 1 l immunity from war. Finland herself

is not a rich'.prize for Russia; her natural , resources are not sufficiently: extensive to . repay the high cost of a Russian invasion. Her true importance in the present, international Conflict is as the eastern defence barrier of-Scan-dinavia against Russia. Once that- barrier is down Sweden and Norway are hopelessly vulnerable. . ' . ‘