Evening star., 1945-07-19

and the United States. And it will
rest there for many years to come.
Forum for World Opinion.
The Charter will offer a forum
for world opinion and advice to
these responsible powers. The re-
treat from the Atlantic Charter,
the ambitions and emotions of war,
the omissions from the San Fran
cisco Charter emphasize that these
three great powers are really the
trustees of world peace rather than
the Charter itself. This collabora-
tion will require much patience, it
will require great firmnesS, it will
take time and much good will to
find lasting solutions after the high
emotions of war, of national ambi-
tions, of differing national purposes.
In any event, for 25 years after
the victory over Japan, all of the
nations of the world will be alb
sorbed in restoring their internal
economy and in establishing
their standards of living. During
this period the world should be
able to work out the problems of
lasting peace.
War emotions will cool in this
period, and it should be possible to
re-establiSh the only basis upon
which the world will have peace.
That is, the relations between ma
tions and men must be founded
upon positively agreed political.
moral and spiritual rights. And
there will be no peace unless these
rights be applied to those peoples
who have been deprived of them
or who have not yet attained them.
This is more important today
than ever before, for liberty and
freedom have shrunk in great areas
as a result of this war. America
cannot guarantee an unjust peace.
Furthermore, peace can come only
if we differentiate between the
common people of the enemy ma
tionS and their criminal leaders, so
that We do not transform stern
justice to war criminals into general
vengeance.
The Germans, japanese. Italians,
Bulgarians and Hungariarfs must,
sooner or later, govern themselves.
While they cannot again be trusted
to bear arms, yet they must be al
lowed to restore their productivity
in peaceful industry if they, and
indeed the rest of the world, are
to recover decent living and to
have enduring peace. Our purpose
must be to lead them into the
paths of peaceful contribution to
civilization for our Sakes as well
as their own.
In the preamble to the Charter
the purpose of nations is stated:
TO reaffirm faith in fundamental
human rights, in the dignity and
worth of the human person, in the
equal rights of men and women and
of nations large and small. To es-
tablish conditions under which JUS
tice and respect for the obligations
arising from treaties and other
sources of international law can be
maintained To promote social
progress and better standards of
life in larger freedom. To practice
tolerance"
This preamble is an expression of
hope. 1t is not a binding agree
ment. The test of the war settle
ments and indeed of the Charter it
self will be whether these ideas are
applied to all peoples. If the ma
tions fail in these particulars we
shall have explosions which no Sc
curity Council can control. But if
the ideas of this preamble be fol-
lowed in the political and economic
settlements of the war. the wounds
of war can be healed, liberty re-
stored in the world, the Charter
strengthened, and lasting peace can
come to mankind.