Washington Times-He raid OSSeStnrr a,1359. ear Washington ATTACK ON FINLAND QUITE ALL BIGHT, SAYS GERMANY'S THOIHSEN By Helen Essary RUSSIA'S attack on Finland should neither distress nor surprise the- TJnited States, in the opinion of Dr. Hans Thorn- sen,' German charge d'affaires. "The conquest Is part of the Soviet plan to redeem Its own. to take back what it lost In the World War," said Dr. Thomsen. "As a military, triumph actually It Is unimportant. Merely an ex- pedition.1 Russia must have a seaport in the Baltic. There Is the coast line of Finland close at hand and very convenient for Russian shipping. The re- sult is inevitable." "But why shouldn't the United States be greatly outraged at this attack on perfectly harm- less people?" I asked. DR. THOMSEN replied calmly, "Such an attitude," he said, "should be understood by the people of the United States. When your Government wanted the land that is now Texas in 1848, it merely moved in and took it from' Mexico. It isn't recorded in the history books that the citizens of your coun- try were horrified. "At least they have never yet given back the land. To some of us in Europe, it seems both necessary and simple procedure to rearrange the map of Europe In the same way. though on larger scale. Let me show you." Dr. Thomsen moved out of the small office adjacent to what was the drawing-room, when Am- bassador Hans Luther had lived at the embassy, "Look at this globe of the world. Russia has but one logical course. Her objective, a port on the Black Sea, is understandable. She will move down., the Continent tHrough-Romanla. taking _ba.ck Bessarabia, which' belongs _ to TTerT as .she goes' There are many Russians in Besscrabia. "Kwould still be Russian land were it not for the mistakes of the Versailles Treaty. Turkey is the real Soviet objective". AlldT X*nfEZgT~J$o. 3uifinratft|£l5>! the Bosphorus " IF Romania had not "foolishly enlarged herself" after the World War, she would not now be in danger from Russia and also from Hungary. Hungary wants her part of Romania back. Dr. Thomsen said. As the German charge spoke so dis- passionately about the Russian plan of conquest, with which Germany uhist be sympathetic, r found myself shivering with horror.. And said so, emphati- cally, to Dr. Thomsen. "But why does it disturbyou?" he replied. "It Is history repeat- ing itself as It always rill." "About Germany's plans," I asked. "What becomes of Bul- garia in this switching about?" "Bulgaria will not be dis- turbed," h- said. "And Denmark?" I continued. Dr. Thomsen evidently did not hear. For he aid not answer. NORWAY and Sweden." he said, "are not in the Rus- sian path. They are geographi- cally inaccessible, with bad roads from Russia and a seacoast al- most Impossible to conquer." Un- emotionally, he went on with the conversation. It was fantastic to be discussing In words of one syllable the destruction of hun- dreds of thousands of people as though the evil deed had been done. Next I brought up colonies. "Oh. the colonies," said Dr. Thomsen. "We will have them back w 11 hout much dif- ficulty. I shouldn't be sur- prised If E n gland were al- ready p repared to return them. They are not very v aluable. No rubber nor manganese-there now. The colonies could be de- veloped, however, by Germany. Yet they are important as trad- ing points. k "When the World war began, 1 there had been peace in Europe1 for 40 years. The longest time in its history. The people had got accustomed to peace. This was both fortunate and un- fortunate, because again I say everyone knows eternal peace In Europe Is impossible. "Too much blood has been shed over the boundaries. Ra- cial characteristics will always prevail and will not permit any country, big or little, to long endure rule by outsiders. This is why the German National Socialist government did not have to wait long for Czecho- slovakia, Poland and Austria. These were really German coun- tries with many thousands of Germans already there." Helen BeMrr WE will also find them use- " ful spots to send German youth to blow off steam. You know, of course, that England sends her younger sons to the far-away places she has con- quered when the boys are dif- ficult at home. We can do the same with German youth. "Surely the exchange of colonies could not be very im- portant. I read somewhere re- cently that an Indian tribe wants the United States and Canada to give back Niagara Falls. Niagara originally be- longed to Indians, didn't It?" IASKED Dr. Thomsen another question. "Do you honestly think that this destruction and murder that you are carrying on can actually profit any gov- ernment or any people?" "Who can be certain'," .an- swered Dr. Thomsen, "that the historians will condemn a hun- dred years from now what Ger- many and Russia are doing? As I told you, the day before Ger- many invaded Poland, the hon- est European knows war Is al- most everlasting for him. T\0 you think this will be a long war," I asked Dr. Thomsen. He, naturally, could not say definitely, but he did not think it would be short. ' *Tt will be a cautious war, however. Both sides have learned that it is stupid to sacrifice a hundred thousand young men for a spectacular attack that will have no particular results. Each side will move warily. "Now England can do noth- ing. Not at the moment. She has set up her flag on French soil and moved her armies in. But that is all." We were talking of war as casually as if we were discussing a new play. Such blithe ignor- ing of the human element, the bodies and souls of the men who would be murdered, almost kept me from thinking the conversa- tion had reality. It was also incredible that Dr. Thomsen did not seem to feel there was a re- mote chance o' Russia and Ger- many failing to conquer Eu- rope. And I tot the distinct idea that they conquer together according to a fixed plan. Skipping over the certainty that Hitler and Stalin, leaders of this ruthless conquest, must some day come face to face, and then what, was one question I did not ask Dr. Thomsen. WHAT he thought about the " attitude of die United States was yet to be mentioned. "While Germany ¦ and Russia are running amuck, what do you suppose the United States will be doing meanwhile?" I said. Dr. Thomsen looked squarely at me and answered, "She will be staying at home and looking after her own big country and be thanking heaven. "The ¦ United States has enough to do governing her own people. Europe never has and never will be any proper con- cern of hers. When people say that some day the Nazis will cross the ocean and Invade United States, I laugh." e say ; wilU '4