Evening star., 1943-11-02

CAM Is IIle pain ~
removal of the David Lawrence.
idea Of alliances, either offensive or
defensive, and the unqualified re-
lance on the principle of collective
security to maintain the peace Of
the world.
The Connally resolution might
better have been passed last week,
but, If adopted by an overwhelming
vote now, it will still be construed
throughout the world as a hearty
confirmation of what the executive
branch of the United States Gov
ernment has just promulgated. For
it is well known everywhere that
obligations such as are implied in
the Moscow agreements should have
the ratification Of CongreSs-not
merely the Upper House, but the
Lower House-just as, no doubt, the
Moscow agreements will be ratified
by the British Parliament.
The Moscow agreements repre-
sent milestone of progress toward
victory. They reveal that Russia,
China, America and Britain are COL
laborating closely and mean to keep
up that collaboration when hostin-
ties have ceased.
Military Arrangement.
Indeed, the new four power pact
may prove to be the intermediate
step that will make unnecessary a
peace conference in the sense of q
treaty with the enemy countries
Instead the provisions of a tempo
rary military arrangement now are
envisaged and the pledge given by
the four powers is that they recog-
nize the necessity of establishing at
the earliest practicable date a gen.
eral international organiza ton,
based on the principle of the sov-
ereign equality of all peace loving
states, and open to membership by
all such states, large and small, for
the maintenance of international
peace and security
This is a phraseology which is
plain and all-embracing. 1t means
that the existing machinery of the
Covenant of the League of Nations
could be used, as suggested by Sem
ator Taft, or that revision could
begin at once looking toward a
reconstruction of the League.
The principle of sovereign equal
ity' does away with mistaken sug-
gestions about alliances and removes
all possible criticism which might
otherwise have come from the
smaller states. 1t is an admirable
statement Of purpose and is An eX-
ample of craftsmanship of the
highest order.
The pledge Ito bring about a
practicable general agreement with
respect to the regulation of arma-
ments in the postwar period is a
splendid indication that the four
powers appreciate how much the
postwar world will want to reduce
armaments so far as possible so as
to rid the world of burdensome
taxes. Collective security would
make possible such reduction to
the point needed for international
police purposes.
Basis for Cooperation.
1t is significant that the Moscow
announcement spoke of the presence
OF military advisers representing the
respective chiefs of staff in order
to discuss definite military opera
tions with regard 10 which decisions
had been taken and which are al
ready being prepared in order to
create basis for the closest mill
tary cooperation in the future be-
tween the three countries"
This could mean Allied operations
IN the Balkans, air support from
Russian bases for American bomb
ing planes flying across Germany
from west to east or from the Med
iterranean or Balkan bases north
ward. 1t could mean ultimate CO.
operation between Russia and
America against Japan, though the
statements are very carefully
phraSed to avoid such an impress
sion, because Japan and Russia are
still at peace
The most important phrase of the
whole document was contained in
para "aph which not only prom
ised to nsSten the end of the war.
but specified that the three coun-
tries recognized it to be essential
ito continue the present close COL
laboration and cooperation in the
conduct of the war into the period
following the end of hoStilities' be-
cause only in this way could peace
be maintained and the political.
economic and social welfare of their
peoples fully promoted"
Here, then, is the pledge of a
transition period that is to begin
at once-with planning to embrace
all the essential points of collective
security. Plainly, the Moscow con-
ference will go down in history as a
greater step toward postwar plan
ming than has been taken anywhere
thus far. Cordell Hull, American
Secretary Of State, has won at Mos
COW a major triumph.
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