Evening star., 1942-02-16
THE WASHINGTON c. MONDAY FEBRUARY

whose constancy this great alliance
came into being, Of the victory upon
which their lives and honor depends.
Weakening Of Our Unity
Called Greatest Crime Now.
A weakening in our purpose and
therefore in unity-that Is the NOR
tai crime. Whosoever is guilty Of
that crime or of bringing 1t about
In others, OF him let it be said that
1t were better that a milestone were
hung about his neck and that he
were cast into the sea-
Last autumn when Russia was in
her most dire peril, when vast num-
bers Of her soldiers had been killed
or taken prisoner, when one third
of her whole munition- making Ca
pacity lay-as 1t still lies-in Nazi
hands. when Kiev fell and foreign
Ambassadors were ordered ous Of
Moscow. the Russian people did not
fall to pickering among themselves.
They just stood together and worked
and fought all the harder. They
did not lose trust in their leaders.
They did not try to break up the
government.
Hitler had hoped to find Quislinss
and fifth columnists in the wide re-
gions he overran. and among the
unhappy masses who fell into his
power He looked for them, he
searched for them. but he found
none.
The system upon which the Soviet
government is founded is very diff
ferent from ours and from that OF
the United States.
However that may be, the fact re-
mains that Russia received blows
which her friends feared and her
foes believed were mortal, and
through preserving national unity
and persevering undaunted had the
marvellous comeback for which we
thank God now.
In the English speaking world we
rejoice in free institutions. We have
free parliaments and a free press.
This is the way Of life we have been
used to. This is the way Of life we
are fighting to defend.
But it Is the duty Of all who take
part In those free institutions to
make sure, as the House Of Com
mons and the House of Lords have
done. and. doubt not. will do, that
the national executive government
in time Of war have a solid founda- =
ton on which to stand and on which
to act; that misfortunes and mis-
takes Of war are not exploited
against them; that. while they are
kept up to the mark by helpful and
judicious criticism or advice, they
are not deprived Of the persisting
power to run through a period Of
bad times and many cruel vexations
and come out on the other side and
get to the top Of the hill.
Tonight I speak to you at home
and throughout the British world
to our loyal friends in India and
Burma. to our allies in Russia and
to our kith and kin in the United
States. speak to you all under the
shadow Of heavy and far-reaching
military defeat. 1t Is a British and
imperial defeat.
Singapore has fallen. All the
Malay Peninsula has been overrun.
Other dangers gather about us out
there. and none of the dangers
which we have hitherto faced sue
cessfully at home and in the East
are in any way diminished.
This therefore is one OF those
moments when the British nation
can show its quality and genius.
This is one Of those moments when
1t can draw from the heart OF mis-.
fortune the vital impulse OF victory
Here is a moment to display that
calm and poise, combined with grim
determination. which mob so very
long ago brought us out Of the. very
jaws Of death. Here is another oc-
casion to show. as so often In our
long history, that We can meet re-
verses with dignity and with re-
newed accessions of strength. -
We must remember that We are
no longer alone. We are in midst
Of great company. Three-quarters
of the human race are now moving
with US. The whole future Of man.
kind may depend upon our action
and upon our conduct. So far We
have not failed Let us move for
ward steadfastly together into the
storm and through the storm.