The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-08-03

of Cuba. The Cuban President
stressed he would like to see the terri
tories independent rather than under
any form of mandate.
Opposition to treating the people
as merchandise to be bought and sold
is being voiced here by many progress
sive groups as well as in floods of tele-
grams and petitions sent to the con-
ference. In one such document the
Jamaica Progressive League of New
York rejected any transfer of sover-
! eighty from one nation to another,
"even though the new sovereignty be
Western" The league demanded
plebiscite 'to determine the wishes of
the people"
eve shall not be contented, under
any new order that may emerge from
the present war, to be less than free
citizens in our native land" the
! league insisted.
Right of elf-DeterminatiOn and the
West Indies
The following excerpts are from the
Declaration of rights of the Caribbean
Peoples to self-determination and
Self-Government presented the Pan
| American Conference of Foreign
Ministers in Havana, Cuba.
"The war now raging in Europe
| has brought to the fore the question
of basic political and economic ad-
iustments for the peoples of the
West Indies and of both American
continents. This grave situation has
compelled the democratic and peace
loving nations of the Western Henri
sphere seriously to consider the best
possible collective measures for
their mutual defense, security, and
welfare.
"The existence of strategically
situated and economically important
! European colonies in the New
World constitutes, and will always
constitute, a basis for aggression
and threat to the security of the
nations of Pan-America.
"The political control of the
peoples of these territories by non
American powers is now recognized
| to be menace to the safety and
security of all American nations.
Opinion is being developed in the
United States of America appealing
to this sentiment and advocating the
/
establishment of trusteeship of man
date over these Caribbean areas. But
any such menace can best be re-
moved only by the indignation of the
West Indies peoples into the Pan
American family of nations strictly
on the basis of the right of self
! determination. Only thus will it be
/ possible to create an enduring foun-
dation for genuine Good Neighbor'
relations.
'The West Indies National Emer-
gency Committee Identifies itself
with and intellectually supports
every effort honestly directed to-
wards keeping the continents of
America out of war 1t realizes and
submits that conflicts over the
colonies constitute the major source
of war in the modern world. There
fore, the assurance of the right of
self-determination to the West
Indian peoples is unquestionably
necessary to remove this major
danger of war from the Western
Hemisphere. Rejecting and ex-
pressing the profound sentiments of
the peoples of these Caribbean areas,
this Committee declares that it is
firmly and irrevocably opposed to
any sale, transfer, mandate, trustee
ship, or change of sovereignty of
these peoples without the exercise
of their inalienable human and
democratic right of self-determina-
ton.
"On behalf of the peoples of the
West Indies and the adjacent Carib-
bean area the Committee solemnly
protests against any action on the
part of Britain, France, and Hol-
in any way abridge or deny them
their indefeasible right to a domi-
nant voice in the shaping of their
own destiny. The Committee insists
that the will of these peoples must
be fully ascertained, in accordance
with genuine democratic principles
and processes, in respect to any
change whatever in their political
status.
"Reposing confidence in the demo-
cratic sentiments of the Pan-Ameri-
can peoples, these peoples openly
proclaim their right to untrammeled
self-determination. Any denial of
this right to them will be opposed
by every legitimate means and any
attempt at such denial will consti-
tute irrefutable evidence of imperi-
alistic motives and designs on the
part Of every power involved in any
change of sovereignty or establish
ment of military, naval, or aerial
bases in these territories without the
consent of the peoples Immediately
and most vitality concerned.
"The West Indies National Emer-
gency Committee recognizes the
imminent probability of changes of
sovereignty in colonial territories in
the New World and presents its case
for the rights of the peoples, whose
Just cause it advocates, to autono-
NOUS national existence. The Com
mittee draws attention to the fact
that every nation in the New World
developed from the status of colony
or colonies to it's present position as
an independent nation and declares
that this historical circumstance