Evening star., 1940-12-29
BY tie Associated Press.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IotDd, Dec.
28.-The tert OF the telegram
sent to President Roosevelt to-
day BY the No Foreign War Com
rnittee tollotDs:
Two days ago there was released
at the White House a telegram,
signed by some ITO persons desig-
mated as prominent" The tele-
gram urged you, as Chief Executive,
to help sweep away the Ignorance
and lethargy and disbelief" here in
the United States which correspond
to condition existing in Europe
prior to 1888, brought many Euro
pean democracies to their grave and
led the United Kingdom to the thin
edge Of disaster"
May the No Foreign War Com
mittee, in all respect, humbly add
its request to the urgent plea of
the ITO prominent Americans? II
the people of the world ever are
given by their governmental leaders
the truth which they must have if
they are to understand why great
wars are fought, there will be no
more great wars.
Consequently, the signers Of last
Thursdays telegram have driven
straight to the heart of the renewed
crisis with which all governments
have been struggling since the au-
tumn OF 1889. If you answer their
plea, Europes current phase of an
interminable war will end within a
few weeks.
Signed by Common People"
Because Of the telegram signed
by the ITO prominent Americans"
and dispatched to you, the No For
elgn War Committee sends this mes
sage, signed by thousands of the
| common people who furnish the
cannon fodder and the food for war,
who fight and die in wars forced on
them by their governments, and who
in the last analysis, must pay for
those wars.
The SignerS Of this telegram are
not prominent" They are Just
every day, red-blooded, patriotic
Americans who are proud to confess
that they always put their country
the United States of America
flrst IN their every consideration of
international events and situations.
Next they consider the interests of
other countries and peoples. but in
Variably in the light of their own
national interests.
They are humble but courageous
citizens who believe that their cOun-
try's foreign policy easily might be
summed up in two worSs-"America
always 1t is their conviction that
mighty America, alive to the ply
sical, material, moral and spiritual
needs OF this troubled world. might
in fact give that constructive leader
ship to all peoples which you so fire.
quently have said the United States
must give if civilization is to be
saved.
Want Assurances Kept"
The many signers of this telegram
from numerous States, respectfully
ask you, Mr. President, TO tell them,
In your radio broadcast Sunday eve
ming, that the assurances you gave
them in the recent presidential
campaign will be kept, to the letter.
They believed in you when you Of
fered those assurances, and they
believe in you today.
After you have swept away our
ignorance and lethargy and disbe-
lief" said by the ITO signers of last
Thursdays telegram to be endan-
gerIng the United States as they en-
dangered the strangled democracies
OF Europe, these common people will
rise en- masse to help you to end this
war and all wars
once the people of the world are
permitted to know what has been
kept from them about the economic
political and theological realities
which are the real causes of Europe's
and ASia's everlasting conflicts.
those conflicts will cease for all
time.
Then that good neighbor" policy
so commercially encouraged by you
as our President, will become a
reality rather than a myth, the
trade route of the world be open to
all countries, thus enabling their
peoples actually to give democracy
an opportunity for birth, develop
ment and permanency.
See No Democratic Principles.
The signers of this telegram were
asked to give it their approval as
common people who realize that this
war is not being fought for demo-
cratic principles. any more than was
the 19l4-1918 phase of the same
war. The world had a 2O-year
armistice after the treaty of Ver-
sailles had proved that the chapter
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