ABSTRACT
Russia's plan was to swamp Finnish resistance by simultaneously overrunning the country and cutting Finland in half at its waistline, while aviation demoralized civilians and disorganized the state machinery. The attack by Russia against Finland had caught Americans by surprise; they were confused as to how best they could help. In New York City, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia formed a committee to sponsor a "Let's Help Finland" mass meeting in Madison Square Garden, on December 20, 1939. A New York Times editorial stated, "After their work is done in Finland, the Soviets will find among other things, that they have earned the lasting distrust and contempt of the American people." At the Finnish Workers Educational Alliance, huge cartons packed with old clothes and shoes and labeled with the Red Cross emblem were shipped to war sufferers. During the first week of the war, the United States offered its services as a mediator to solve the problem.
