Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Blaðsíða 519
CHRONIQUE TRIMESTRIELLE
50 9
Delegate at the negotiations to be
held in Moscow the Finnish Min-
ister in Stockholm, Dr. J. K. Paasi-
kivi.
Dr. Paasikivi left Helsinki on
Oct. 9 and arrived in Moscow on
Oct. 11. Colonel Aladar Paasonen
and Mr. John Nykopp, of the Fin-
nish Foreign Office, were appointed
to assist Dr. Paasikivi.
Negotiations were held in Mos-
cow on Oct. 12—14, at which the
USSR was represented by Mr. Sta-
lin, Mr. Molotov, Mr. Potemkin
and Mr. Derevjanski. Discussions
took place on altogether three oc-
casions, after which Dr. Paasikivi
and his assistants left Moscow on
Oct. 14, arriving in Helsinki two
days later. On the morning of the
same day Dr. Paasikivi gave a
report of the negotiations to the
Prime Minister, Mr. Cajander, and
Foreign Minister Erkko, after which
a review of the negotiations was
communicated to the Cabinet at a
session attended also by Dr. Paasi-
kivi and his assistants on the Mos-
cow trip.
At this stage no information was
divulged on either side regarding
the questions discussed. All that was
known was that the USSR demands
were of a grave character. In the
circumstances the Finnish Govern-
ment continued the measures, which
had been instituted for the rein-
forcement of Finland’s neutrality
guard on the frontiers. At the same
time the information was publish-
ed that the USSR demands were
not in the nature of an ultimatum.
Another factor, calculated to exer-
cise a soothing effect, was that the
USSR did not specially seek to
hasten the course of the negotia-
tions. Thus, the negotiations were
postponed until after the meeting
of the Heads of the Northern States
in Stockholm.
On Oct. 21 the Finnish Delegates
left Helsinki to resume the Moscow
negotiations, Dr. Paasikivi being
accompanied this time by a second
Delegate, Finance Minister Váinö
Tanner. This second period of nego-
tiation was short, and no more than
on the occasion of Dr. Paasikivi’s
first visit to Moscow were any
tangible results achieved. Already
on Oct. 26 the Delegates were back
again in Helsinki, where they pre-
sented an account of their mission
to the President of the Republic,
Mr. Kyösti Kallio, and the Govern-
ment. On Oct. 27 matters discussed
at the negotiations were dealt with
by a Cabinet Committee consisting
of the Prime Minister, A. K. Cajan-
der, Foreign Minister Eljas Erkko,
Finance Minister Váinö Tanner,
and Minister of Defence J. Niuk-
kanen. The following day, Oct. 28,
the Government, in the course of
private conferences, informed the
Speaker of the House of Represen-
tatives and the leaders of the
parliamentary groups of the USSR
demands. Discussions between the
Government and the party leaders
were continued on Oct. 29. An of-
ficial communiqué issued on Oct 30