Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-09-11
Government Issues
Hopes For Peace
By Hjalmar Petersen.

Hopes For Peace
Frederick j. Libby, an ardent
opponent of Americas entry into
the foreign wars, sees in the
Churchill-Roosevelt statement
step toward peace. His analysis
of their joint declaration as pub
lished in the August issue of
Peace Action of the National
Council for Prevention of War,
follows:
The Joint Statement of Winston
Churchill and President Roosevelt
on August IA, in the light of the
world situation and internal evidence,
may prove experimenting, as its
authors believe it will. For it strikes
the conciliatory note that has been
lacking hitherto in British official
utteranceS at moment when there
are indications that Germany, too, is
ready to make enormous concessions
in the interest of peace. Some in
terpreters have pointed to the pro-
posed obstruction of the Nazi tyran-
ny" as indicating subtle purpose
to undermine the German govern
ment, as President Wilson did with
his Fourteen Points, with the re-
quirement that Germany again dis
arm alone and rely on the generosi-
ty of Great Britain for the somewhat
vague economic blessings mentioned
in the Fourth and Fifth Points. But
Germany's victories on the CONT
nent of Europe leave her in very
different situation from the one she
occupied in the fall of 1918. If she
wins the bloody battle of Russia, as
our military experts expect her to do,
she will have an Incompatible force
available for the conquest of the
Mediterranean area and the Middle
East, if she does not attempt the
invasion of Britain. She will negoti-
ate this time, therefore, not as a
conquered nation but as a full equal.
The British Empire, on the other
hand, is in position today to sit at
the table as an equal, too, thanks,
it must be admitted, to her peoples
morale under terrific bombardment
and to the backing, actual and po-
tential, of America. Having done our
utmost to prevent the eager war
party from sweeping our country
over the brink into actual participa-
ton in a war to overthrow Hitler
and the Nazi regime, we are per-
fectly willing to grant that Mr..
Churchill will fare much better in a
peace conference with President
Roosevelt at his side than he would
alone Not being isolationists ex-
cept against war, we can look for
ward hopefully to peace negotiations
on the basis of the Eight Points,
while reserving the right to oppose
as strenuously in the future as in the
past policies that we believe will in
volve our nation in the wars of the
Old World. But we are getting ahead
of our argument. There are three
reasons for regarding the Churchill
Roosevelt Statement as encouraging
the hope of early peace negotiations.
Let us examine them.
Destruction of Nazi Tyranny"
Significant Change in Aims.
The first indication in the Joint
Statement that Winston Churchill,
backed by President Roosevelt, will
soon be ready to talk peace with Ger
many appears in the substitution of
the obstruction of the Nazi tyranny"
as a war aim for the overthrow of
Hitler and the Nazi regime. The
third of the Eight Points recognizes
"the right of all peoples to choose
the form of government under which
they will live" This includes Ger
many, of course. The effort to over
throw the German government and
force democracy" upon the Ger
man people has always been unreal,
since democracy properly understood
cannot be imposed upon a people
from without. Besides, it is mani
testify easier to talk about overthrow
ing Hitler and the Nazi regime than
to achieve it. On the other hand,
the obstruction of the Nazi tyranny"
in conquered Europe reminds one
curiously of the German peace pro-
gram" published in the New York
Times August Z in dispatch from
Ankara. This dispatch stated that
a week earlier the Germans had
placed definite proposals in the
hands of American sources at Istan-
bull" with the request that they be
informally submitted to the British
Government, preceding an official
proposal to be made when the Ger