Evening star., 1944-12-24
Rights Of Small Nations
Displaced by Expediency
Developments in War Turn British and Russian
Thinking Toward Their Individual
Security in Postwar World
By Constantine BrosOn

after all the smaller nations and even
powerful France had been crushed by
the NaA armies. But there was no desire
In this country to get into the war To
many it looked like another European
war for grabbing purposes"
There was reason, however, which
led the so-called interventionists to de-
sire war against Germany. 1t was a
reason which for the first time in
American history involved the security
of the country itself. Had the Germans
been allowed to defeat the remaining
antagonists in Europe and particularly
Great Britain, which was described so
frequently as Americas principal fort
ress in the Atlantic, nobody could say
what would happen within quarter Of
century or even less.
With France down and out and Brit
ain possibly relegated to second place
as a military power, the Germans could
have installed themselves in Dakar
and threatened our security. Moreover,
the Nazis and their Fascist allies were
extremely active in South America.
Complete victory and the establishment
OF Germany as the paramount power in
the world might have threatened our
own freedom and certainly would have
established the Naz economic influence
in the Latin America republics.
Now the Atlantic Charter Is being
thrown into discard by our allies, the
British and the Russians, because it no
longer suits their political aims. Be-
cause Of the inability of the smaller
! powers to resist the German onslaught
Britain and the U. s. S. r. decided
that the smaller nations could not
live unless they were placed under
| their protection. The solemnly signed
pledges that the members of the
United Nations would seek no aggran-
dizement, territorial or otherwise, and
that they will respect the rights of peo-
Piles to choose their own form of gov
ernment, are now being forgotten.
And the two principal European men,
bers of the United Nations are looking
suspiciously at each other. In order to
safeguard their own interests they are
| playing football with the smaller ma
tions which. in accordance with the
charter, should have been their peers.
Charter Being Interpreted.
Against all provisions OF that docu-
ment to insure lasting peace, the U. 8.
s. r. is now riding rough shod over the
smaller nations which had been guar
anteed their freedom and independence.
The Atlantic Charter is now being 'tn-
terpreted' and its clear language is be-
ing distorted to mean something en-
tirely different from what 1t had been
intended. Because the Polish govern.
ment in exile is opposing territorial con.
cessions to Russia. a new government
sponsored by the Kremlin has been in.
stalled in Eastern Poland. At the sam,
time Prime Minister Churchill has an.
nounced his majesty's government
which went to war with Germany to
safeguard the territorial integrity OF
that eastern republic, was in agreement
with the Russian point of view.
Greece has been evacuated BY the
Germans, who decided that they must
fight the Allies with every ounce Of
strength in the homeland. A relatively
small British force entered Greece un-
opposed by the Nazis but opposed by
a section of the Greek population. The
British went into Greece convinced
that the deals made at Moscow and
Teheran in 1943 would be respected.
They found tremendous opposition
from the guerrillas, who apparently
want their own government and do not
want the British tutelage. Civil war
has not broken out in Poland-yet-
because the country is still under Ger
man and Russian domination. More
over, the Russians have a force large
enough at present to crush any kind
Of rebellion.
A meeting of President Roosevelt,
Premier Stain and Prime Minister
Churchill has tentatively been set for
some time early in February. Some
observers hope Mr.. Roosevelt will play
his cards close to the chest, bring about
revival of the main principles of the
Atlantic Charter and thus repair the
fabric which kept the United Nations
together. In the meetings which have
occurred in the past the political results
have not been encouraging; our policy
trainers were so intent on the military
aspects Of the war that they overlooked
the implications of the political deals
J which they half-heartedly accepted.