Evening star., 1943-02-21

The contention of the realists that the
United States should win the war first
and indulge in the reorganization of the
world afterward has been borne out to
a certain extent by the storm which was
created recently by speculative article
published in this newspaper regarding
the fate of postwar Europe, with Rus
sia emerging as the strongest power on
that continent.
1t is essential, of course, that blueprintS
about the world Of the future should be
made IN Washington, London and Mos
SOW. 1t is equally essential that many
sets of such blucprints should be devised
in order to met a numoer Of situations
which cannot be predicted at present.
But so as not to give comfort to the en-
emy and avoid misunderstanding it
seems that factual and realistic discus
sions must be stunned.
The Atlantic Charter, which was draft
ed before the United States became CO.
belligerent, is loose and somewhat neb-
ulous document. Like the deceased Kel-
logg Pact, it lacks "teeth"-that is to
y, ~ 10 III o1tCN Ill Quill q LtdiillCl UlldG
it leaves too many loopholes. And the
weaker nations, which are looking for
the millennium from the pillars of the
United Nations after the Axis powers
have been reduced to impotence, are
likely to be disappointed unless the At
lantic Charter is made a definite docu-
ment setting forth definite principles to
be applied to all nations after the war.
Seen as Magma Charta.
The Atlantic Charter was devised and
signed by President Roosevelt and Prime
Minister Churchill. It's main principles
were embodied in the preamble of the
declarations of all the United Nations
on January /, 1912. For some time, it
was believed that it had become the
Magma Charta of freedom of the new
world which will be established on the
ruins of the old world.
But some doubts about it's exact mean
ing came to the fore. Mr.. Churchill
taken to task by strong imperialists in
London on the charge that he has given
away the British Empire to an theology,
made public statement to the effect
that he is not heading His Majesty's gov
ernment in order to destroy the empire.
This was construed as a clear indication
that the four freedoms might be rationed
in accordance with the practical needs
and aims of the British Empire.
From the realistic point of view, no.
body could find fault with the British
Prime Minister if he stood by the empire
which he had inherited intact from his
predecessors. But from the idealistiC
point of view, there is no question that
many brows must have been raised in
India, in China-which wants Hong
Kong back as an integral part of the re-
public-and In other quarters of the
world which have been hankering for
unlimited freedom for some time.
On February II Moscow placed itself
on record, in an article published in the
official organ, Pravda, that the basic
law of the country is the constitution of
the U. S. S. R. which has fixed the ties be-
tween the republics of the Baltic states
and the other Union republics" The
United States continues to recognize the
independence of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania.
Their representatives are still carried
in the official list of foreign missions in
Washington. The fact that in 1899 the
electorate of these states had voted for a