Aland Islands of strategically importance for Finland according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad dated 1938 no. 5

An item referred to the Proceedings dated June 1938 reported that the Aland Isles were again a political issue. After the Crimean war was at the treaty of Paris, France in 1856 decided that the islands were neutral. In the First World War however Russia fortified the islands and which fortress were destroyed after 1921. In 1918 became the islands part of Finland despite the fact that the major part of the population choose for Sweden. After the 1921 convention the island were declared neutral again. Since then was Finland building a new naval base at Abö with as result hat the islands became of strategically importance for Finland, It was common known that in the past years military agents of several countries visited the islands. (1)

Note
1. Although the archipelago at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia is still part of Finland it is autonomous and demilitarised and still a Swedish speaking region.