Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-10-11
Hull Luuded for Work
On New League PIons
Fidelity of Allies Aueurs Well
For Future, Says Observer
By David Laurence

AioShty Va hLlSS FAuSuTS wei
For Future, Says Observer
BY David Laurence
Only those who saw the work Of the
Paris peace conference day by day can
testify to the remarkable achievement
OF Secretary Hull and his group of COL
leagues who drafted the proposals for
the new league for world security.
To have been able in the midst of
war to put on paper and get agreement
so quickly among the delegates Of
Britain, the United States. Russia and
China on matter so delicate as a world
organization is tribute to the stead
fastness OF purpose and fidelity of these
nations to one another.
1t is true there is much yet to be
settled-points that are difficult and
tremendously important-but the prog
ress made thus far augurs well for the
future. Most vital is the scope of the
proposed organization as tentatively
agreed on. 1t Is built. of course, on the
foundations of the League of Nations.
1t does not differ in many essentials,
and this Is fortunate because the exist
ing League Covenant did surmount
many hurdles in international Cooper
alton.
Plan Called Practical.
There are some improvements notice.
able, to be sure, over the old League
and yet this is not the real reason for
calling the new document an epochal
achievement. The reason is that the
main structure of the old League has
been revived and there has been pre-
sented for future discussion and agree
ment by all nations a practical plan for
enforcing the peace.
The old League had the machinery.
but the member nations did not have
in their governments men of vision and
| character in moments of crisis. Like
wise, there was never any assurance.
| concerning Americas position. If the
old League imposed economic sanctions
| or used physical force to secure respect
! for its decisions, there was no telling
what the most powerful Nation in the
world and the one with the biggest
arsenal of armament, namely, the
United States, would do about it.
Even, for instance, when the United
States signed the Kellogg BRAND
Treaties outlawing war and aggression.
there was never any announcement of
| policy from this Government as to
whether it would come to the aid of
the victims of aggression. The failure
OF Congress, for instance, a decade ago
to permit the export of arms in Ameri-
can ships-the so-called neutrality"
law-was the very opposite of such an
assurance
| Hitler and his cohorts felt sure the
United States would not come to the
aid OF countries he might attack. Could
he have been certain any time between
1888 and 1899 that an international
force, including that of the United
States. was ready to join other nations
TO prevent aggression and to aid vic
TINS OF aggression, maybe the Second
World War might never have occurred.
Disputed Points.
In few weeks here in Washington.
draft has been written which will
go a long way toward preventing a
third world war. Disputed points are
there to be ironed out. Will the United
States, for example, authorize its rep
| resentative on the security council OF
the new international organization to
permit our armed forces to be used in
an emergency? Will blanket au-
thorization be given by Congress, per-
haps a year or so before a dispute
| grows acute? There are various WAYS
to meet this issue and still conform to
American constitutional processes. This
point need not prove barrier to ulti-
mate agreement.
AS for the veto power being exercised
by Russia, Britain. China or America
whenever a decision in the council
might accuse any of them of agrees
sion, this is much more academic than
real. On reflection, each of the mem
Der states may well agree later on to
accept such discipline though it will be
a harder point to get agreement on now
than perhaps any other. Not only in
Russia but in the United States there
VIII be hesitancy to accept such a de-
cision In the making of which America
will have had no voice.
The most important fact to be re-
membered Is that no international
agreement can be ratified unless the
viewpoints of all nations are harmon
lied and it may be that in the end the
success of the efforts to prevent a third
world war will depend anyway more
on the spirit rather than the letter of
the document, more on the character of
the statesmen in office than on the
phrases of the contract.
A good contract can always be vio-
lated by evil-minded parties with a
tendency to bubble or evade obligations
and loosely worded or inadequate con-
tract can be made to work when there
Is will to do so backed by conscience.
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