Evening star., 1945-01-16
Atlantic Charter
Aims Unchanged,
Commons 7 old
Ey the Associated Press.

lister Churchill today indorsee
President RooSevelt'S declaration
that the objectives of the At.
lantic Charter remain valid
though not all could be achieved
Immediately.
He told the newly reconvenee
House of Commons he did not be.
leved the Allied slogan of uncon.
dltional surrender had great polit.
ical value for Hitler, and he in.
sisted The war will be prolonged
until unconditional surrender ha.
been obtained"
The work of 1t. Gen Ronald N
Scobie, British commander ir
Greece, drew praise from the Prime
Minister under critical questioning
Mr.. Churchill said, Il think he has
done admirably"
The Prime Minister spoke extern
poraneously. He plans a full-scale
war statement Thursday.
House Cheers Statements.
LaboriteS and the one Communist
member of the House, William Gal
lacher, asked the questions which
drew out Mr.. Churchill. The
House. in which Mr.. Churchill's S
Conservative Party is dominant
cl eered the unconditional surren-
der stand and the praise of Gen
Scobie.
At the same time Mr. Churchill
indicated annoyance at being
pressed concerning statements bv
Premier Gen. Nicholas Plastiras and
other leaders of the new Greek
regime concerning punishment OF
the left-wing ELIAS.
When the members pressed him
to give report as soon as possible
on what parts of the Atlantic Char
ter were valid Immediately" Mr.
Churchill snapped back:
I really do not think there is any
need to go into that. 1t has been
very well described by the President
as standard of aims-an indica-
ton of the direction in which We
are proceeding. 1t is not law"
Objectives Still Valid.
Laborite RhyS Davies suggested
that President RooSevelt's recent
statement cast doubt on the gen.
uineness of the Atlantic Charter"
Mr.. Churchill rejoined that, far
from having cast any doubt, the
President had reported the OBJ
jectives were just as valid today as
they were in 1941, and that Mr..
Roosevelt had indicated the OBJ
lectives were not likely to be OBJ
tanned Immediately.
Il am in agreement with these
statements" the Prime Minister
added.
Mr.. Churchill said he already had
made statement about the appli-
cation of the charter to the British
Empire, and especially India. He
asserted that the objects. purpose
and principles of the charter were
being achieved already by the proc
ess of extending government
but he did not elaborate.
In the debate on unconditional
surrender" Mr.. Davis inquired:
DO you think that these threats
against the Axis powers have a
tendency to Stiffen the people OF
Germany behind their leaders and
prolong the war, and would you be
good enough to reconsider your pol
icy to see whether you could not
employ your unrivaled power to
bring this misery in Europe to an
end?'
Cheering Renewed.
mo, sir" Mr.. Churchill shot back.
I'VE don't take that view at all. I
think the house would be over
Whelmingly against our attempting
to make peace by negotiation.
The cheering of the members was
renewed
Then Mr.. Churchill continued:
AT any rate our Allies would be
overwhelmingly opposed to such a
course.
1T is quite impossible to discuss
these things during this question Pc
Rod. An opportunity may occur in
debate to discuss them. I am not of
the opinion that the demand for un-
conditional surrender is prolonging
the war.
In any event the war will be pro-
longed until unconditional surrender
has been obtained"
Ben Riley, a Laborite, continued
to press the point, asking whether
1t was appreciated that the slogan
unconditional surrender has great
political value for Hitler and his
gang
L don't think that is so,'' the
Prime Minister replied.
Questioned by ShinweII.
One member cried Don't make
mischief" when Emmanuel Shin
well. Laborite. asked whether MIR
Churchill had taken notice of the
declaration by Gen. Plastiras on two
occasions that it is the intention of
his government to clear out the ELIAS
oeft-Wlng army forces from
(See CHURCHILL, Page A-4J