BRITAIN'S PART READINESS TO HELP

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 63, 14 March 1940, Page 11

BRITAIN'S PART

READINESS TO HELP

NOT CALLED ON

MR. HORE-BELISHA'S SUGGESTION

"EXCUSE FOR INACTION A PURE TECHNICALITY"

(British Official Wireless.) (Received March 14, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, March 13. In a crowded and expectant House, the Prime Minister made a statement today on the Finnish peace settlement. His brief recital of the facts ended with a tribute to the Finnish people which drew full-throated | cheers from all parts of the House. "The British Minister at Helsinki was informed by M. Tanner that SovietFinnish peace terms were signed in Moscow last night and that an armistice was signed sh 11 a.m. today (Finnish time) between the two armies," said Mr. Chamberlain. "Throughout the Soviet-Finnish struggle Britain, in concert with France, furnished the Finns! with large quantities of war materials! and supplies of all sorts, particulars of which have been made known so far as was in the public interest. Britain has, in fact, made plain her readiness to give all possible help to the Finns in their gallant struggle against aggression, and as I informed the House on Monday, we had made preparations to throw the full weight of all our available resources into the scales on hearing that this would be in accordance with the desire of Finland. It has always been understood that it was for Finland to decide upon the course of action which Finland considered best suited to her interests in the light of all the available knowledge. BRITISH SYMPATHY. "In their decision the Finns may be assured that the people of this country are united in sympathy with the situation in which the Finns find themselves and in admiration for the courage with which they have maintained for so long the struggle against overwhelming odds. This epic story will ever be recounted in the chronicles of their own country and will remain alive in the memory of all peoples." The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. C. R. Attlee, rose immediately and said: "We are all agreed in our admiration for the Finns in their struggle, and while we, all of us, are relieved that the slaughter has been stopped, we deeply regret the success of aggression. May I ask the Prime Minister that just as this country has been willing to assist the Finns in defending themselves against aggression, so we shall render them all the assistance we can in order to repair the damage of this unprovoked attack on them." Mr. L. Hore-Belisha, the former Secretary of War, intervened to ask if it was not a fact that repeated appeals had been made by Finland for assistance not only in material but in men, and was it not a pity, in relation to the magnitude of these events and their far-reaching character, to plead as an excuse for inaction a pure technicality. OFFER OF MEN IiONG AGO. j Mr. Chamberlain replied: "It is not correct that repeated requests for men have been made by the Finnish Government. The Finnish Government made repeated requests for material, and every one of those requests has been answered. The Finns had been informed as long ago as February 25 that if they were to make an appeal to us we had been prepared, and were making arrangements, to send out men as well as materials. In the circumstances in which they found themselves they decided not to make such an appeal." (Received March 14, 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. A member asked in the House of Commons if it could be made clear that Britain had at no time threatened the neutrality of Sweden. Mr. Chamberlain replied: "Certainly. At no time did we threaten the neutrality of Sweden." One or 'two members asked for a /debate on the whole matter, but Mr. Chamberlain said that there had been no official request for a debate and he could not discuss the matter on the floor of the House. Mr. J. ,McGovern (Independent Labour Party) said that the overw .elming mass of the people in Britain were of the opinion that Soviet and Nazi bureaucracy had brought on themselves the loathing and contempt of every decent man. REQUEST FOR DETAILS OF HELP. Sir Archibald Sinclair associated the Liberals with the tributes of admiration and sympathy to the Finns, and made a request to the Premier for particulars of the assistance given. Mr. Hore-Belisha then asked Mr. Chamberlain to confirm the figures given by M. Daladier yesterday. The Prime Minister said he had endeavoured to obtain an accurate account of M. Daladier's speech, and in the absence of such a report he would prefer not to comment upon it. Regarding - statements in the Press purporting to give the amount of Allied help to the Finns, he said that the Government had never made any complete statement of the amount of help given to Finland, and that a distinction must be drawn between what was sent and what actually arrived. The tense atmosphere in which the House heard the Premier's original answer was broken during the putting of supplementary questions when Mr. McGovern interjected an impassioned denunciation of the Soviet Government which members fount} relief in greeting with amused cheers. The Marquess of Ciydeside, a member who had been involved in many scenes in the House in the past by his fervid championship of the needs of the unemployed, said: "Is the Prime Minister aware that whilst a considerable number of people are glad that the slaughter of the Finns is over, the overwhelming mass of the people of this country are of the opinion that Stalin and his Nazi-minded bureaucracy have brought down upon themselves the loathing and contempt of every decent-minded person?"