Blow to Hitler

How far Hitler has fallen was demonstrated last week by the cautious government of Sweden. It dared to strike him a blow which may possibly prove as serious as the loss of Sicily.

Premier Per Albin Hansson, a cautious Socialist who plays bridge with the King and bowls with cottagers, found it militarily safe and politically popular to take back a concession which Hitler had wrung from Sweden soon after the fall of Norway: the privilege of shipping troops and war supplies through Sweden to Norway and Finland. The concession had to be made because Hitler could have conquered Sweden. It was withdrawn because Hitler no longer could conquer Sweden-and possibly because Per Albin's government believes that soon the Allies will be strong enough to take back Norway. This would make it possible for Sweden to get supplies from the outside world without German safe-conduct for her ships through the Skagerrak.

Transport of war materiel will cease Aug. 15; traffic of furloughed men to & from Norway and the "horseshoe traffic" from Trondheim to Narvik via Swedish territory will be discontinued Aug. 20. Only sop to the Nazis was the phraseology of the announcement, which called Sweden's decision an "agreement." No one was fooled; Sweden gave no compensating concessions. The Swedish Army (500,000 wellarmed, well-trained men) was holding full-scale maneuvers in south Sweden at the moment of the announcement. The action, affecting the transport of an esti mated 250,000 men per year, will force the Nazis to change to sea routes, both in the North Sea (to northern Norway) and in the Baltic (to Finland), where Allied air and naval strength can take its toll of precious ships. Hitler's hold on both Norway and Finland was weakened. But by week's end Germany had not revoked safe-conduct permits for neutral Sweden's shipping with the outside world.

Swedes were delighted. So were Norwegians. Finns fretted.

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