History 25/01/20 Why the United States wanted to relocate all the residents of Finland to Alaska
at the outbreak of the Winter war, the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939, the real prospect was to include Finland in the Soviet Union or the transformation of the small Scandinavian countries in the puppet socialist Republic. In 1939 Soviet troops in the occupied territory had been created in the Finnish government was Marxist Otto Kuusinen, with its capital in the town of Terijoki (now Zelenogorsk). Democratic governments in Europe protested and assisted the Finns. On their side fought more than 11 thousand volunteers from different countries. Although the Americans at the time followed the policy of isolationism in world Affairs, this time they remained absolutely neutral, but supported Finland.
At the beginning of 1940 public figures Robert Blake and Leonard Sutton proposed the idea of relocation to Alaska Finns, who did not wish to capture their country to become Communist. Include this plan in the media, they have made it quite popular. The discussion was attended by many citizens and politicians in Alaska have put forward different variants of the evacuation of the Finns. It was planned to deliver the first Finnish immigrants to Norway, and then by ship to the United States. Their settlement in Alaska near the city of Fairbanks (Central Peninsula) solves several problems. First, the Finns could live in their climate zone and engage in agriculture and Handicrafts with traditional methods. This would help them to adapt successfully in the United States. Secondly, this way would speed up the development by the Americans of the Northern Peninsula. On the vast territory of Alaska is still home to only a small portion of Americans (approx. 740 million), whereas the southern States are overpopulated (for example, the population of California is almost 40 million people).
And then in Alaska, lived alljust about 70 thousand people, and to develop a promising, resource-rich region was virtually no one. Having near this region dangerous neighbor (Japan), creating a strong economy and infrastructure in Alaska, the Americans were considered extremely important. Besides, the Finns were in the United States in good standing – they (quite rightly) considered hardworking and law-abiding people. And besides, it is European people, and thus share fundamental social and political values of the United States.
fortunately for the Finns, seriously to consider the plan of R. black and L. Sutton in 1940, the U.S. government was not necessary. Although almost never doubted the imminent defeat of Finland and its occupation. The war ended in March 1940, and Finland, although it lost 11% of its territory and second largest city (Vyborg), still managed to surprise the entire world to defend their independence. Finns with captured Soviet Union territory (Karelia), settled in other regions of the country. And if the Soviet Union lost during the Second world war, the Finns became allies of the Third Reich, would return to their land. However, the Soviet Union won, and in 1944, when the Soviet Union again threatened occupation of Finland, the question of the migration of Finns to Alaska again in USA on the agenda. Finns seriously feared the revenge of the Soviet armies and destroying all their farms, and people in panic were ready to run anywhere. The troops increasingly difficult to maintain discipline, the regiments left their position, so the prospect of having to evacuate a considerable part of the people looked very real.
And now projects evacuations were done by the General staff of the armed forces of the United States. And now were not planned for the resettlement of refugees, and the evacuation of the entire Finnish population (more than three and a half million people). One of the project names of the new state was called “Finalese”. And again this plan was not necessary since the war, the Soviet Union and Finland ended with the armistice in 1944, Finland Then became NateGeneral the country had with the Soviet Union were cool. The occupation of this country have not responded to Soviet interests, as the Kremlin has prioritized maintaining good relations with the countries of anti-Hitler coalition. Buried project Finalise lay in the archives for a long time until a Finnish historian Henry Oinas-of Kukkonen not doing the story and not released the book “Finalese – the dream of the Finnish state”, where he told about those events.
And the United States had to explore Alaska on their own, without the Finns. During the Cold war, the importance of this state only increased, because here the Soviet border ran very close. Gradually, investing in the economy of the state a lot of investment, this problem has been solved.
Konstantin Dmitriev
Source:
© Russian Seven
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