Evening star., 1947-08-21
Text of Marshall Address

0XI Ol "OFSF
from Yesterdays Last Edition.)
FOLLOWING is the tert OF Secre-
tary OF State MarshalPs address
before the Inter-American De-
tense Conference at Petropolis,
Brazil, as released by the State
Department.
I welcome this opportunity to par
ticipate with so many distinguished
statesmen in the Inter-Americar
Conference for the maintenance ot
Continental Peace and Security
under the direction of the perma'
nent chairman, His EXcellency Rau
Fernandes. 1t gives me an oppor.
tunity to renew friendships with
many of you and to meet others fol
the first time. May express to yor
particularly, Mr.. Chairman,-ane
through you to His Excellency, Pres
ident Dutra-the appreciation anc
admiration, which I, my associates
and my Government feel for the
generous hospitality of Brazil in 1t:
role as host to this conference.
While this is my first experience
in a Pan American conference,
did have a rather intimate expert.
ence in conferences with your mill
tary representatives during the wal
years. 1t was my honor and pleas
ure on one occasion, in 1910, to have
all of your chiefs of staff as my
guests. So I do not feel quite a
stranger to the proceedings OF this
gathering.
We are here to add to the
strength of the structure for peace
full stability in this hemisphere
The foundations of this structure
have already been laid at Buenos
Aires, Lima, Panama, Havana ano
Mexico City, and we are moldlng II
within the framework of the Char
ter of the United Nations, which ou1
governments joined in writing. The
frame of reference for this meeting
has therefore been clearly estab-
lished.
The immediate task we face at
this conference is to draft the treaty
contemplated in the Act of Cha
pultepec. In that act we Jointly
declared that every attack by a
state against an American state
shall be considered as an act OF
aggression against all, and we pro-
vided for collective sanction against
the aggressor. This principle OF COL
lective responsibility for our COM
mon defense is a natural develop
ment of American collabora-
ton.
Deep Traditions Cited.
We have been for years a commu-
nifty of nations, with deep traditions
of cooperation, and mutual respect.
We turn now to the drafting of a
treaty to establish a community re-
sponsibility, to defend by collective
action any member of our regional
group that may be the victim Of
an aggression.
This is but one step. Our broad
objectives require that we simplify
and make clear the exact procedures
of pacific settlement whereby such
inter American disputes as may
arise can be effectively settled
through peaceful means. At Bogota
in January we shall formulate the
treaty designed to give effect to that
purpose. This treaty, together with
the comprehensive organic pact on
the inter er-American system we con-
clude at this conference, will
strengthen the principle of collec-
tive responsibility and the rule of
law in our international affairs.
The results of our labors will dem
onstrate to all the world that peoples
and nations who really want peace
can have peace by living in an at
of increasing cooperative
action and good will. We all rec
ognize, I am sure, that we are living
in sick and suffering world. BY the
grace of God, through the develop
ment of the strong bonds of Pan
we have been spared
the horrors and. devastation of the
war in our countryside. Perhaps
distance from the scenes of the great
tragedy make us slow to compre-
hend the necessities. Nor do think
we are sufficiently aware of how
vastly important to the future of the
Old World is the unity of the New.
Heavy Burdens Assumed.
The grave political problems con-
fronting the world today are largely
due to the complete disruptions of
normal economic and social rela-
tions. The extent of this confusion