Evening star., 1939-11-27
Clarifying Allied Aims

Clarifying Allied Aims
In his address yesterday to the
British Empire, also heard in the
United States, Prime Minister Cham
berlaln made notable contribution
to Qualification of the public mind
throughout the world on the aims of
the allies, not so much in the war
with Germany as in what they want
Europe to be when the moment comes
to re-establish the continent on a
basis of lasting peace.
Many who have clamored for a
detailed and specific listing of the
purposes for which Britain and
France are fighting Germany no
doubt will be dissatisfied with the
Prime Minister'S exposition of war
aims, which he distinguishes from
the peace aims, of the allies. There
was no reference to restoration of
the states Germany has absorbed
Austria, -Slovakia and Poland.
But he did make it clear that the
German people can have peace If
they can rid their government of the
aggressive, bullying mentality which
seeks continually to dominate other
peoples by force" If the German
people fail to do this then it is the
allied task to achieve that purpose,
by the military defeat of Germany
If necessary.
Until that goal has been accom-
plished, until Germany's army is de-
cisively beaten, there is no use of
talking in specific terms about peace
aims or what will be done in the
peace conference following this war.
But the Prime Minister ventured to
outline in the most general terms the
kind of "new Europe" toward which
it would be Britain's purpose to work,
not only in the peace conference, but
in the years which it will take to
put Europe on sound footing.
First of the peace aims apparently
is the determination that Europe
shall not be subjected to another
Versailles, to plague of tearing up
and redrawing frontiers, but "such
adjustments of boundaries as would
be necessary would be threshed out
between neighbors sitting on equal
terms around table, with the help
OF diSintereSted third parties if il
were so desired"
Furthermore, in order that Europe's
standard of living be raised there
should be provision for full and
constant flow of trade, which would
mean the adoption as a continental
policy of the liberal trade philosophy
of Cordell Hull and Paul van iceland.
The right of each country to choose
its own government would be un-
fettered, except insofar as that gov
ernment pursued an external policy
detrimental to its neighbors.
Finally, because they would be a
useless expense, armaments would be
dropped gradually, leaving only those
necessary for the preservation OF law
and order.
This indeed is a modest program.
The ideas are not new, and by no
means unattainable. If they leave
for later discussion the ultimate fate
of Austria, Czecho-Slovakia and
Poland it is because the restoration
of those states in their old forms
which admittedly were full of in
justices-may not be consistent with
the new Europe which Mr.. Chamber
lain envisions, and he is not leading
the British Empire in this war for the
preservation of the errors and mis-
takes of the Versailles peacemakers.
On the other hand that sovereign
existence for some kind of Czech and
Polish states, and plebiscite for the
Austrians should be a part of any
just peace is so clear that it scarcely
needs to be stated.
Lacking all that vindictiveness OF
which David Lloyd George and
Georges Clemenceau were the
apostles, and with firm conviction
that Europe can have lasting peace
with justice for all, Mr.. Chamberlain
promises new, square deal for the