Evening star., 1944-08-26
U. S. Plan to Avert
War Held Practical

War Held Practical
Answers Valid Objections, Relies
: on Moral Force, Says Lawrence
By David Laurence
A practical plan to avert war has
been evolved by the United States Gov
ernment which, If adopted by all the
other governments of the world, will
go far toward achieving the objectives
of the World War as well as this war.
Answering all the valid objections
that could be raised on constitutional
grounds, relying on moral force pri-
marily but with physical force assured
in the event that an aggressor state
does not comply with orders to desist
given it by q general international Or
ganization, the new peace plan Is Of
kind that would seem likely to receive
the support of Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike who sincerely want to see
international cooperation made effec-
tive.
American sovereignty will not be sac
rificed, nor American freedom, to de-
eide on all the facts as to whether our
armed forces shall be employed, but
the opportunity and the procedure is
such that at the same time the United
States will not be able to avoid her
share of responsibility for preserving
world peace by force when necessary
as last resort
Brief Outline of Plan.
Briefly, the plan contemplates that
the representative Of the United States
who sits in the executive council of the
international security organization shall
not cast his vote until he shall be given
the required authority by the President
after both houses of Congress have so
voted. This is in the case of aggression
that does not affect us directly because
where American territory or nationals
are attacked the President under the
Constitution already has the right to
order our armed forces to repel inva-
sion or threatened invasion.
The procedure will be such that long
before world menace has appeared
will have considered the problem and
derived from its constituent members
the right to make arrangements for
joint military action. 1t is not con-
templated moreover, that any one ma
ton police a sphere of influence or
hemisphere or continent, but that
when armed forces of defense are en-
ployed by one or more countries in a
neighborhood area the latter shall be
the designated agent or agents of the
executive council of the general inter-
national organization and, as such, SUBJ
ject to its continuing orders and limi-
tations.
When an aggreSSor state has defied
the warnings and the findings and rec
concentrations of the international Sc
curity organization in a given con-
troversy and has gone ahead to attack
another state, this will become an act
of war against all members of the inter-
national security organization, diplo-
matte relations will be automatically
broken and the aggressor state, if pre-
viously a member or non-member Of
the international security organization,
will be compelled as a result of mill
tary operations to surrender uncondi-
tionally and turn over its military forces
and physical resources to the interna-
tional security organization and UNDER
go period of probation analogous to
that which is planned today for Ger
many and Japan.
Backed by big Stick"
1t is probable that there will be lit
tie need for the actual use of military
force because moral suasion backed by
the big stick" will succeed in averting
aggression. The would-be agressor will
always know that the combined might
of all the nations can be automatically
employed if the steps leading to aggres-
sion are not abandoned. If Russia,
America, Britain, France and China
the five charter members want
to preserve peace in the world here
after, the new plan gives them that op-
portunity
The method being used to gain agree
ment now as among Russia Britain and
the United States is one of wise eau
ton. Each of the delegations will
recommend to their respective govern
ments the plan that is finally worked
out at the Dumbarton Oaks conferences
and each legislative body Yill then have
an opportunity at London and Washing
ton and Moscow to consider the pro-
posals and ratify them. Then other
nations will be invited to join
Secretary Hull and his associates are
engaged in the most sensational, as well
as significant work toward outlawing
war that has been tried since 1919, but
the chances of Republican and Demo-
cratic support this time in the United
States are brighter than ever before.
What wonderful thing for civiliza-
ton it would be if the peace plan could
be ratified even before the troops come
home SO that they may feel when hos
tilities do cease that they have not
fought in vain and that the dead have
made their sacrifices truly in war to
end all war.
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