Word: aland
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1930-1939
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Early this month the Nazi press in Germany trained its biggest propaganda guns on Foreign Minister Sandier, accusing him, among other things, of "pro-British" actions. But that was not what removed him. Long had Foreign Minister Sandier advocated fortifying, with Finnish cooperation, the strategic Aland Islands guarding the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia. He especially urged it when Russia began her diplomatic pressure on Finland. Moreover, Mr. Sandier was the spokesman of those friends of Finland who believed that Scandinavian neutrality was indivisible...
...quiet. Finland announced that she was fortifying the Aland Islands and had mined their approaches. There was no protest from Sweden, which alone might object to the proximity of big guns to Stockholm. Russia announced her blockade of the Gulf of Finland, and Finland said it was illegal. There were some sporadic exchanges between Finnish coastal batteries and Russian warships in the Gulf (the Russians shelled Hanko without much effect), and Finland suspected Russia of planning to land troops before the Gulf begins to freeze around Christmas...
...Navy, operating out of Russian and Estonian bases, first seized the four small, unfortified islands-Hogland, Seiskari, Tytär, Lavas-which had figured in Russia's pre-war demands on Finland. Farther west, to protect the vital Aland...
...refer to Finland as "The Belgium of the North," the Three Kings and their Foreign Ministers reputedly advised President Kallio in secret: 1) to hand over to the Soviet Union certain small islands, near Leningrad; 2) to refuse to concede to the Soviet Union control of the large Aland Islands near Stockholm; 3) to resist Soviet pressure to enter a military alliance which would make Finland the vassal of Russia. This appeared to be the line taken when Finnish Foreign Minister Dr. Juho Paasikivi went back to Moscow this week for more talks about the "friendship pact." Meantime, however...
...rushed to strengthen Finland's defenses along the Soviet frontier. It was assumed that Dictator Stalin would demand the "lease" of several small Finnish islands near Leningrad and that this would have to be yielded in exchange for trade favors, but in case Moscow demands to lease the Aland Islands, owned by Finland dominating Stockholm, all Scandinavia was expected to join Finland in protest. "Moscow's demands on Finland are followed with the greatest interest in Sweden," said Stockholm's Svenska Dagbladet. "If the Soviet thinks she can treat Finland as she has the Baltic countries recently...