Evening star., 1948-05-11
Birth of q New Hope

1t was not simply because of warm
Dutch sun that crowd OF more than
10000 packed great public square IN
Amsterdam on Sunday. The huge audi
ence was there to listen enthusiastically
to eloquent appeals for an ideal that has
come to capture the Imagination and
earnest support of ever-growing numbers
of Europeans, regardless of nationality or
station in life. The ideal-a federated con-
tinent-is centuries old, but never has
there been so widespread a desire as now
to do something concrete to lift it out OF
the realm of the abstract into the realm
of the real
There is q reason for this, of course.
The Second World War and its aftermath
have demonstrated that free Europe can
not recover its old vigor and remain free
If it keeps on being wilderness of sep
arate and clashing sovereigntieS, nursing
old grudges within itself and perpetuating
its ancient political and economic rivalries.
In an immediate, short-range sense, the
independent part of 1.-THE part on this
side of the iron curtain-must move toward
greater and greater unity as swiftly as
possible. 1t must do so to protect itself
against the pressing danger of falling
victim in piecemeal fashion-one country
at time-to the Kremlins relentless drive
to spread the Red tyranny everywhere.
Beyond that in a long-range sense, the
European peoples must work for the even
tual creation of a continent-wide fedora
ton, including the states currently domi-
mated by Moscow. They have compelling
reasons for this. In the first place, because
the economies of Eastern and Western
Europe are complementary and inter-
dependent, meshing them together would
raise the living standards OF all Europeans.
In the second place, continental union
would promote an enduring peace by bring
ing Europe's strength into line with that
of America and Soviet RUSSIA develop
ment that would create an international
balance Of power far safer than the one
that exists now.
Before the outbreak of the Second World
War, the idea of federation, though inter-
esting, had little more than an academic
meaning for Europeans. But today they
see it in different light; they see 1t as
something vital to their future political,
economic and military well-being. That
is why the 10000 in the Amsterdam
square on Sunday loudly cheered Winston
Churchills call for union as q bulwark
against tyranny. That is why they
cheered former French Premier Rama
dier when he hailed the Congress of
Europe" at The Hague asn""the birth Of a
new hope" That is why that congress
though unofficial, though sponsored BY
no government has sNn1s 1sWdrld wide at-s
tention and attracted distinguished dele
gates from no fewer than twenty-five
European n-lands.. Including several behind
the iron curtain. ~ y
All this is significant as evidence OF
how the ideal of continental federation
has gained great and constantly increasing
public support. Total fulfillment may not
be realized for many decades to come but
genuine progress is being made through
nongovernmental undertakings like The
Hague Congress and history-making off,
cial enterprises like the sixteen-nation
European Recovery Program and the new
union of Britain, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg. The even
tual creation of united Europe is no
longer an unattainable goal The more the
peoples of that continent think about it,
the more they will regard it as essential
to their happiness and the closer they will
come to achieving it. The new hope"
seen by NJ Ramadier is not an empty one.
Aue%r;nn pan@o TnIke (fnlIed