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Post War Eastern Europe and Finland
Plaschke, Chicago Tribune American, 1945
Stalin Redraws World's Borders
The war was won and freedom reigns over all of Europe, or does it? Stalin got
his share for defeating Hitler: the Baltics, Karelia and Eastern Europe. The
borders of 1939 would not be reinstated in Europe.
Stalin was consuming
Europe while everyone was busy dancing in the streets and proclaiming that
Europe has been set "free."
While Churchill was defending Jews from Hitler’s death camps, Eastern Europeans were being turned over to Stalin’s death camps. Many non-Soviet citizens were among them, such as fleeing Czarist Cossacks shipped back to Jugoslavia and shot, Russian POW's and ordinary Soviet Citizens. It was unbelievable, there was nobody to stand up against Stalin and protect the vulnerable in lands bordering the Soviet Union. In fact they were turned over to Stalin at gun-point in many cases.
In his book "The Minister and the Massacre" and "The secret betrayal" by Nikolai Tolstoy, he reveals the
horror of the forced repatriations to the USSR by the British and Americans.
Most of it is his original research into the cover-up. "If the moral and
political wisdom of the so-called civilized and Christian West is of such a
kind, then God help Europe and the world" says Colonel Tatalovic, in response to
a Chetnik staff officer’s queries. Between 1944 and 1947 the Western Allies
handed over to Stalin more than two million Soviet citizens. This was what
Roosevelt called "free Europe."
Lists of people to be killed or imprisoned were made by local Communist traitors in Finland (Leino), Czechoslovakia (Gottwald), Hungary (Rakosi), DDR (Pieck), Bulgaria (Dimitrov), Poland, Romania, Albania, and Yugoslavia. The first step was to install a Communist minister of the interior (government police) and to infiltrate all political parties, and then to take each one over by force. The plan succeeded in all above countries except Finland. This answers the question most people in the West have: was Finland part of the "Soviet Union?" Of course the answer is "no." Although there has always been Communist traitors in Finland who have wanted to take away Finnish independence and join their Russian Communist brethren, this never materialized. I suppose they dreamed that if this happened, they would be in charge. However history shows that they were wrong and most likely they would have ended up with a hole in the back of their heads.
Aalto, Pertti 1917, yo "ylioppilas," (high
school graduate) Hki (Helsinki),
(forester) Taivalkoski
The Finnish economy has always been the envy of Russia, whose people were not capable of developing such prosperity, and definitely not under communism.
The Communist cannot understand how Finland can prosper like it does.
He asks: "how is it possible," since the workers are "exploited?" How is it
possible that their store shelves are overflowing, and ours are almost always
empty? How can the exploited go around driving nice American, Swedish, German or
Japanese cars when we have to wait years for a Lada? The exploited eat in fine
restaurants, or McDonald's, and shop in megastores overflowing with food, while
we socialists stand in lines for a loaf of bread? Have we missed something?
This is a worker’s paradise? Not likely. But you have to admit that
while the people are standing in lines, they are substantially under control. If
you have any doubts about which is better, (millions still believe in socialism,
but it comes in fancy disguises today, even "Democracy") socialism or
capitalism, you don't have to argue with me about politics. You can ask a person
who has lived under both, and any fancy utopian ideals will vanish very quickly.
Some people you could talk to are: Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Mongolians,
Estonians and so on. Ask them how they were treated 1) by the Russians 2) by the
Communists, and if they would volunteer for more. Unfortunately there are
millions who cannot speak for themselves for they have been in their graves for
a long time now.
Some feel that capitalism is destroying the planet, while socialism is
friendly, not only to people, but also to the environment. Not true. To clean up
the environment you need money - lots of money. Only capitalism, the people
friendly variety not dominated by multinationals, produces enough surplus money
to make a significant dent in pollution. A lack of funds and fear prevents
positive action in a socialist country, most of which are ecological disasters.
Likewise, socialism destroys minorities, for example the Soviet minority policy.
Just take a trip to Russia. Socialism is the most vicious, brutal, godforsaken
ideology on the planet, which promises the world but delivers slavery and
misery. It is evil through and through, but puts up a glorious front which
appeals to the lazy and radical elements. They certainly are not made up of
humanitarians, and we do not see them out there helping the sick and poor of the
world except with the barrel of a gun. Take that anyway you like. As for Russia,
the socialists are still there, waiting until capitalism has reestablished the
economy, ready to offer their misery to other unsuspecting people.
Did the United States escape the communist threat to freedom? Not a
chance. Communism does not present itself as such anymore, but many of its ideas
permeate the system.
Marxists told the masses that all their problems came from their
constant class struggle and they would be rich if only they were not impeded by
the bloodsucking Capitalists. The problem is, once begun murder tends to
continue and even escalate. So they arrested even those who helped with the
revolution and delighted in making them suffer the cruelest kinds of tortures
you can imagine. This was imposed upon 10-25% of the population, which made it a system
straight from the pit of hell.
The Finnish Communist party luckily just couldn't get it together at the right moment in history, because for one thing, they were fighting amongst themselves. Finland missed out on going down the path of Russia and Eastern Europe. This was the second and last time the Finnish communists and their brothers, the Russian Bolsheviks, had a chance to overthrow the democratically elected government, the first being in 1918. General Mannerheim crushed this with some help from the Germans.
The elections of 1945 were especially important and 74.9% of Finns voted, with 30 divisions of Russians waiting on the other side of the border just to help the people make their decision. They did succeed in getting the communist minister of the interior (Yrjö Leino) in power for 3 1/2 years, but a communist takeover was not in the cards. The Czechoslovakian road would not be that of the Finns.
Those on the lists were disposed of in the aforementioned countries - a horrible fate to survive the war and have that happen. And a plot was also underway in Finland by Yrjö Leino, who was the chief of Valpo, Finland's secret police agency. He was building an army of communist police to "fight post-war crime," and preparing to seize power in Finland. However, the two main players, Yrjö Leino and Aaltonen were feuding, and eventually the whole thing collapsed as Leino lapsed into alcoholism and fell out of favor with Moscow. In 1948 the Finnish parliament deposed Leino for his anti Finnish activities. Simultaneously, the West's outcry against what was going on in the Czech Republic caused the Russians to back off in Finland. It was a close call for Finland.
The Allies, as a result of Stalin's insistence, criminalized Finland's war with the Soviet Union, and demanded imprisonment for those responsible. A retroactive law, against the Finnish Constitution, had to be passed to proceed with the tribunal which was obliged to sentence President Ryti, wartime Prime Ministers J.W. Rangell and Edwin Linkomies, Foreign Minister Henrik Ramsay, Ministers Väinö Tanner, Antti Kukkonen and Tyko Reinikka, as well as Minister T.M. Kivimäki, the wartime envoy to Berlin, to prison. Mannerheim, who had accepted the presidency, now resigned in solidarity.
J.K. Paasikivi became the president in 1947 and set a course of foreign policy, which included uncompromisingly clinging to independence while at the same time keeping the Soviets happy. He even turned down Marshall aid from the U.S. Where was the aid when Finland really needed it in 1944, when the Allies marched the Karelians out and the Russians in? It wasn't just that Finland wanted to instill confidence in the USSR, but the Finns are proud and independent. Accepting aid after what the Allies did to the Finnish people would be out of character.
Urho Kekkonen became president in 1956, and would be in power for 25 years. This Paasikivi-Kekkonen line became a synonym for Finland's foreign policy.
In 1948 Finland concluded a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance with the USSR The clause calling for mutual assistance takes effect if another state uses Finland to attack the USSR and such aid would not be automatic, but only after negotiations. (good luck)
Patriotic National Alliance - The Finnish watchdog group that demands the return of properties taken by Russia, and protests a Finnish government denial of territorial disputes - a prerequisite for EU membership granted Finland in 1995. They also wish to raise awareness in the international community about the selling out of Finland's territorial sovereignty in any secret agreements by others i.e.. Finnish national interests during bilateral talks. This attitude by the Finnish people is why Finland is free today instead of a vassal of Russia. It is an attitude that the Finnish press refers to as "nationalistic." They are the "Varangian Guard" of Finland today in a time when national interests are ending up on the chopping block of European and world politics. National interests must now be subordinated to the collective. Will it be only a matter of time that EU police begin to enforce free thought, as in the USSR? Free thought was not supressed there either right away.
It is such a tragedy that Stalin's Allies did not do anything for the
millions that waited for their assistance, which never came, because Stalin
demanded to have them in his "sphere of influence." (Synonym for oppressing
these people by meddling in their internal affairs) He asked for and got to be
the curse of millions. It was a supreme quirk of history to see the Allies
standing together, pointing west in the sunset of justice and truth, telling the
Karelians to get out of their own country like they were some kind of illegal
aliens. It was as if reality was suddenly affected by some virus, where nobody
knew what was right anymore, that this could be allowed in the name of justice.
But still the Finns act friendly to the Russians, Americans, and British; there
are no terrorists, no protests, just peace - and that's what the tolerant Finns
really always wanted when they were forced to defend themselves, without
assistance from the Western powers. When it was over, the Finns were smart
enough to realize the truth: that rebuilding and healing cannot take place in
bitterness and anger, but "forgiveness." Perhaps there is a lesson there for the
rest of the world. Can the Russians, despite themselves being demonstrably
unreliable, hope for a trustworthier neighbor?
Whatever became of the
beautiful sandy beaches of the Finnish Riviera? The Soviets destroyed the beauty
of Terijoki, and even trucked off much of the beautiful sand for construction,
leaving behind a rubble of rocks. What a bitter fate for such a beautiful place
enjoyed by free, happy people who became scattered all over the world.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Prints Soviet
Disinformation
From the Russian point of view, Karelia, Finland and the Baltics (and who knows what other areas) have always been Russian. They claim Viipuri (Vyborg) has always been Russian, except it was in the "possession of the Finns between 1920 - 39." Since Viipuri is the writer's parental hometown, he can say without fear of contradiction, that this is an outright lie. In 1721 1721 Russia managed to occupy parts of Finland, including Viipuri for some time but the city was never considered to be a Russian city, (just under Russian control for some time) being populated mainly by Finnish speaking Karelians and Finns. Even when Finland was a Grand Duchy of Russia, it was a special arrangement. Finland, and Viipuri, did not "belong" to Russia. It was a special deal just between the Czar and the Finnish people. To travel to Finland, a Russian still needed to obtain the permission of Finland. Therefore, Viipuri could not under any stretch of the imagination have been a Russian city although they managed to move the border to the west of the city for some time. Unfortunately, the Encyclopaedia Britannica has taken the Russian view of Finnish history - a great error and injustice to the Finnish people. The Finnish foreign ministry, which states that this is a great shame to this "knowledge" base, is correcting this situation. It is about time Britain and United States stood up for the smaller European countries they released to the care of Stalin. By correcting Soviet revisionism, they can make a start. Länsipuro, who is correcting the errors, says it looks like it is straight from the Soviet "Bolshaja Sovjetskaja Entsiklopediasta." The errors are also propagated on the Internet versions of the encyclopedia. Also included in this is Soviet propaganda about the ceded territories!
Many Russians claim the entire North for themselves on historical and racial grounds. Demin, a Russian writer, even declares that the "Finnish epic Kalevala is "Russian" and Finns were "indeed" a Slavic population. There were many such crazy fantasies of Russians, like whole Kola and Maanselkä areas were inhabited by Russians and Finno-Ugrics were just an ethnographic part of the Slavic nation. I suppose this book was created for such Nazi-Russian organizations, like "Russian National Unity" or "Congress of Russian Communities".
The foreign ministry of Finland has had to fix many similar disinformations in European schoolbooks. And this work to correct Soviet disinformation in all Western institutions continues by the foreign ministry.
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