Baltic Prisoner

Sweden last week had to go begging favors of her oldest enemy in Europe. Through the good offices of Berlin a Swedish trade commission arranged to go to Moscow, where the Swedes will be petitioners for some of the commerce they sorely need now that the Nazi seizure of Norway has them boxed in the Baltic. In Stockholm preliminary negotiations for a trade treaty with Germany were completed, to be resumed later in Berlin. This arrangement gave the Germans time to increase their demands, the Swedes time to reflect on their new status in Europe.

Lest the Swedes make a mistake about their position, Tass, official Russian news agency, issued a belated announcement which said:

"An exchange of information regarding Sweden's neutrality took place a fortnight ago between representatives of the U. S. S. R. and Germany in Moscow, in conformity with Article III of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact. . . .* It was noted that both States regard themselves as interested in the preservation of Sweden's neutrality."

These sentiments Berlin's mouthpiece echoed. D. N. B. announced that Adolf Hitler had exchanged letters with Sweden's King Gustaf, which, said the news agency, "affirmed complete agreement over the future political attitude of the two countries toward each other in accordance with public declarations [of neutrality] already given by the German and Swedish Governments."

Thus protected by her two big Baltic neighbors--from each other as well as from the Allies--Sweden showed how completely she was trapped by strengthening her defenses against attack by way of Ally-held northern Norway. Said one Swede close to the Government: "It appears we can expect nothing from the Western Powers."

*Article III provides for consultation and exchange of information on matters of mutual interest. The inference was that Russia invoked the pact after the German invasion of Norway, which German Ambassador Count Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg spent four hours explaining to Foreign Commissar Molotov in Moscow (TIME, April 22).

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