Evening star., 1941-04-25

American Society Of International
Lar at the Carlton Hotel last
rioht.
Fellow members and guests of
the American Society of Inter-
national Law:
On the occasion Of this, our
35th annual meeting, l shall un-
dPrtake TO discuss briefly GER
tain acute phases OF the world
situation which are of vital in
terest to all of us.
We are in the midst of des-
perately serious DAYS which in
volve all peoples and all nations.
Unfortunately, many people fall
to grasp the nature of this world
wide crisis and its meaning to
our country,
Too many people assume that
the present struggle Is merely an
ordinary regional war, and that
when it comes to an end the
side which is victorious will col
lect lndemnltleS but otherwise
leave the defeated nations more
or less as they were before the
conflict began. This assumption
would prove entirely erroneous
should the aggreSsOr powers be
the winners. As Waged by them
III -
Is A war of assault by these
Vould-be conquerOrs, employing
every method of barbarism. upon
nations which cling to their right
10 live in freedom and which are
resisting in self-defenSe.
The WOuld-be cOnquerors pro-
pose to take unto themselves
every part of every conquered
nation: the territory, the SOW
ereignity. the possessions of every
such nation. They propose to
make the people of each con-
euered nation into serfs; to ex-
tinguish their liberties, their
rights, their law and their re-
Iiginn. They Systematically up
root everything that is high and
fine in life.
FXperience Shows No Nation
Can Expect Exemption.
Such is the movement which Is
extending rapidly throughout
the world.
If experience shows anything,
It shows that no nation any
where has the slightest reason
to feel that it will be exempted
from attack by the invader, any
more than, in town oVerrun by
bandits. the wealthiest citizen
might expect to be free from
attack.
Every thinking man can answer
the question for himself by SIM
plv calling the roll of the wretch
ed victims of world aggression
who are now in a condition OF
semi slavery, and whose every
hope Of again enjoying the bless
ings of civilization depends only
on the defeat or failure of the
movement of conquest. SO 1t IS
In Austria, Czecho-Slovakia. Po-
land. Norway, Denmark, Holland,
Belgium. Albania, Luxembourg,
France, Rumania, Hungary, Bull
earia, YugoSlavia. Many right
thinking people have not been
able to conceive that this would
happen. To them it has seemed
incredible. Yet the physical facts
are now before our very eyes,
and the agony of the period
through which the world is pass
ing IS marked by the most ter
rible events. AS the armies of
invasion move on, they bring
with them blasted houses, faml-
lies driven out to starve, civilian
dead in the fields. When fight
ing Is over, the administration OF
the invader offers no relief.
Homes are plundered. families
are separated. churches are
closed, food is denied, semi
slavery is introduced. Military
frightfulneSs is merely replaced
by civilian terror. Every resource
of organized fiendishness is set
to work to subjugate and COW the
individual and TO use the con-
uuered territory as a springboard
for new aggreSSiOns.
The conclusion is plain. Now,
after some IS nations have lost
everything that makes life worth
living, it is high time that the
remaining free countries should
arm to the fullest extent and in
the briefest time humanly pos
sible and act for their self
preservation.
Short Sighted and Dangerous
To Wait for Invaders Attack.
Some among us. doubtless with
the best of intentions, still con-
tend that our country need not
resist until armed forces Of an
invader shall have crossed the
boundary line Of this hemisphere.
But this merely means that there
would be no resistance by the
hemisphere, including the United
States, until the invading coun-
tries had acquired complete con-
troll of the other four continents
and of the high seas, and thus
had obtained every possible
strategic advantage, reducing us
to the corresponding disadvan-
tage of a severely handicapped
defense. This is an utterly short
sighted and extremely dangerous
view.
Events have shown beyond pos
sible question that the safety of
this hemisphere and of this coun-
try calls for resistance wherever
resistance will be most effective.
In my judgement our safety and
security require that, in accord
ance with the declared policy of