Negotiator Stalin

During his twelve years as master of the Kremlin few authentic anecdotes have been printed about mysterious, closelipped, Georgia-born Joseph Stalin. Last week able New York Times Correspondent Otto D. Tolischus, nosing about the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) which have been taken under the Soviet Union's "protective" wing, picked up what he thought were some genuine ones that came out of Russia's recent Baltic negotiations :

> On one occasion when a Baltic Foreign Minister was hard-pressed for concessions by Soviet Foreign Commissar and Premier Viacheslav M. Molotov and his aides, Comrade Stalin walked into the conference room, put his arm around the visitor's shoulder, smiled benignly, said: "Never mind, I'll protect you from these great Russians." > At a similar conference with another Baltic official Dictator Stalin varied his remark: "You know, these militarists want everything, but I am a politician and I can compromise." Result: The Russian demands were pared down. > When one Baltic Minister brought up the question of what was now to become of Communists whom Baltic States had jailed, Bolshevist No. i answered: "What you do with your own Communists is your own business. They are Trotskyists anyhow. If you must, shoot them, and if you can't handle them, I'll help you." > Once Dictator Stalin remarked: "You know, Communism has not worked here so well either."

Reporter Tolischus found that, frightened as were the bourgeois Baltic States at the Soviet advance, so far the Russians had observed all the diplomatic niceties with "banquets, mutual felicitations and exchanges of congratulatory telegrams." When the Soviet troops marched into Estonia the guns of both nations gave mutual salutes, bands played both the Estonian anthem and the Internationale. Attempts of Baltic Communists to "tovarish" the visiting Russians were received coldly. At Wilno, self-appointed Communists started to purge the bourgeoisie before the Soviet soldiers arrived, but once in control the Russians either shot the local Communists or deported them to Moscow.

Crucial Week? All this was small comfort for the Finns, who last week were harder pressed than ever by the Kremlin to come into the Soviet orbit. Finnish Minister to Sweden Juho Paasikivi and Finance Minister Vaeinoe Tanner made another flying trip from Moscow back to Helsinki to lay before their government Dictator Stalin's "final offer." Mr. Tanner had hopes that "we can come to an agreement," reported that Tovarish Stalin had assumed personal charge of the Russian-Finnish negotiations. Negotiator Stalin was "very friendly and cordial" and smoked cigarets endlessly instead of the usual pipe.

The Finnish public had not yet been told in detail the Russian demands, but nobody had much difficulty in guessing that they exceeded the Finnish idea of independence and neutrality. The political atmosphere indicated that a major national crisis was at hand and that this would probably be the tell-tale week. Foreign Minister Eljas Erkko, in a big patriotic rally, said that a "period of nerve-testing" was at hand. "The time is difficult," Press Chief Urho Toivola admitted. "We feel our freedom and independence are threatened." Early this week 300 Finns gathered outside the Helsinki Hotel at which U. S. Minister H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld stayed, and sang The Star-Spangled Banner before going on to serenade the Norwegian, Danish, Swedish Ministers.

Sweden was almost as jittery as Finland. Rumors were rife that Comrade Stalin would soon issue an "invitation" to Swedish negotiators to come to Moscow and talk about mutual assistance pacts and Swedish-Russian naval bases. While the almost fully mobilized Swedish Army trained in earnest, home folk began feverishly to dig huge underground shelters.

Ominous in Swedish eyes was the fact that Mme Alexandra Kollontay, the Soviet Minister to Sweden, suddenly was called to Moscow. The world's first fully accredited woman diplomat, Minister Kollontay has had 16 years' experience in Scandinavia. Handsome, spirited, cultured, fashionably dressed, Mme Kollontay has long been an exquisite hostess whose invitations were eagerly sought. More than anyone else, this talented revolutionary-turned-diplomat, daughter of a Tsarist general and a part Finnish mother, would be able to tell Negotiator Stalin just how solid Scandinavian neutrality was, just when and where the Scandinavian countries might fight to retain it.

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