Stories

Stories about the Russo-Finnish war reached a new high for naivete. The wildest tales, as usual, came from Copenhagen, where almost any rumor floating around Scandinavia is rushed into print, but other capitals put out their share.

Items:

>Adolf Hitler was putting pressure on Joseph Stalin to call off the war against Finland.

>Stalin was directing the war by telephone.

>Stalin had personally ordered the execution of a supply officer who let the Finns cut his lines.

>The Russians were dropping female spies by parachute into Finland.

>The Russians were shooting their own wounded.

>Two Finnish scouts picked up a length of telephone wire, reeled it in, found two Russians trying to wind it in the other direction, captured the Russians, made them carry the wire back to the Finnish lines.

>Russian aviators were fighting air duels with one another.

Such stories, and others better substantiated, led headquarters of the Leningrad Military Area, which in general has not lied about the war except to say that nothing was happening, to issue a blistering self-righteous attack on the foreign press ("especially the French and primarily the Havas Agency") for its accounts of Finnish successes. Its points:

>"The foreign agencies . . . shout themselves hoarse that Finnish troops broke through the front in all directions, crossed the Soviet frontier and wage operations on U. S. S. R. territory. This is an utter lie. ... In reality, Finnish troops have never reached Soviet frontiers in any direction. As a matter of fact they have hardly set themselves to such a task." (True, except for small raiding parties.)

>"The foreign agencies . . . alleged that in the battle area of Suomussalmi the 44th Soviet Division 'lost 14,000 men.'... In reality, casualties of Soviet troops there have not exceeded 900 men." (U. S. correspondents visited the scene of battle, saw bodies of Russian dead, confirmed Finnish reports of an undeniable Russian rout. The Russians have admitted a "withdrawal." The Finns have never claimed the destruction of more than 6,000 Russians.) >-"The foreign agencies allege that Finnish troops cut communications along the Murmansk railway and that this line is now 'completely paralyzed.'... In reality, the Murmansk railway has not suspended work for a single minute." (Possibly true. The Finns have blocked a branch line leading toward Finland, and isolated Finnish patrols have been trying to cut the main railroad, but only one is known to have reported reaching it. That patrol consisted of only a few men, who could not carry much dynamite.)

>"The same foreign agencies . . . allege that 'The Russians lost Petsamo.' . . . Since Dec. 1 Petsamo has been in the hands of Soviet troops." (True.) Letting their feelings run away with them, the Russians then added a weird tale of their own:

>"The Finnish Schutzcorps brutally killed their wounded in order not to leave 'tongues' in the hands of the Soviet troops."

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