Moscow Ends Finland Boycott

...After some boasting about Lunik, a dig at United States policy and "anti-Soviet" press organs in Finland, Khrushchev expressed his appreciation of President Kekkonen's efforts to strengthen Finnish-Soviet relations and announced the normalization of these relations...

...But in order to apply a policy, a government must have the support of certain forces...

...Kekkonen also announced that the Russians had no demands which would jeopardize Finland's traditional posture of neutrality...

...Whom should he run into in the City of the Neva but Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who said: "I had just returned from Minsk when I heard on the radio that Finland's President had arrived in Leningrad, whereupon I considered there was reason to visit Leningrad...

...In practice, only the Communists and the Left-Socialists will be in opposition, and this Government—the 21st since the war—may last longer than any of its predecessors...

...And while President Kekkonen grabbed the headlines in Leningrad, Foreign Minister Ralf Torngren (independent liberal) met with the government leaders of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in Oslo, where he confirmed Finland's intention to join her Scandinavian neighbors in economic integration...

...Regarding Khrushchev's criticism of some Finnish press organs, the President called upon Finnish writers, cartoonists and others to exercise "restraint and responsibility" with respect to the USSR...

...New Helsinki coalition Government faces hopeful future Moscow Ends Finland Boycott By Austin Goodrich Helsinki Finland's President Uhro K. Kek-konen just happened to find the time ripe recently for accepting a long-standing invitation to see the cultural treasures of Leningrad and, without any public announcement, off he went with his wife...

...And this happened, too...

...The ice has been broken," he said, "the normal friendly relations can continue for the happiness and success of our peoples...

...Political observers in Helsinki explain this by the fact that the new cabinet is not what the Russians had hoped for...

...Though counting on the support of only 48 seats in the 200-seat Diet, it actually has the support of the same parties that participated in the Fagerholm cabinet, i.e., the Social Democrats, Agrarians, Conservatives and Liberals...

...Of course it was said that the traditional foreign policy would be maintained...

...It is a feeling that it could have been worse—much worse...

...Although many Finns regret that the Fagerholm Government had to be sacrificed in the face of Soviet pressure, there is a distinct feeling of optimism here regarding the new Government...

...Then he proceeded to explain what he had against the former Finnish cabinet: "As far as I know, Fagerholm has a broad back...

...The Government of Finland today is a compromise, but a healthy one from the standpoint of the West...

...A glance at the composition of the Fagerholm Government, a glance at the parties represented in it, made it clear that this cabinet did not promise any good for our relations...

...In his radio-television address to the nation immediately after his return to Helsinki, Kekkonen observed that while the crisis in Finnish-Soviet relations had been deeper than supposed, everything was all right again...

...This little-publicized development is vital to Finland's independence...

...But the non-Communist parties, including a majority of Agrarians, resolutely opposed the move...

...But behind his back we see [Vaino] Tanner and his colleagues—Leskinen and others who are known for their hostile attitude toward the Soviet Union...

...During the critical weeks following the resignation of Fagerholm's administration, triggered by the resignation of the Agrarian members, it appeared that there was at least an even chance of Communists being brought into the new cabinet...

...In view of the clear political advantages of the meeting to both parties (it enabled Khrushchev to include a foreign policy success in his report to the 21st Congress of the Communist party, and Kekkonen has made the most of his personal role in achieving normal Finnish-Soviet relations), some Helsinki sceptics have questioned the impromptu nature of the meeting...

...Khrushchev told his luncheon guest in Leningrad that "good neighbors must not interfere in each other's internal affairs...

...It is significant that Khrushchev attacked the fallen Fagerholm regime (singling out veteran Social Democrats Tanner and Leskinen), while scarcely mentioning the present minority Agrarian Government under Professor V. J. Sukselainen...

...President Kekkonen reportedly urged his former party comrades among the Agrarians to form a government with Communist representation...

...In any event, it marked the end of a Russian diplomatic and economic boycott imposed against Finland late last fall...

...The freeze was a result of Moscow's dissatisfaction with the strong coalition government under Socialist Karl-August Fagerholm, which collapsed under the pressure in December...