Evening star., 1951-05-06
Generals S Formula
For World Peace

CAdl, have you any nope IOr us IN
finding the formula which will
settle the whole matter?
Gen. MacArthur-I tried to ex-
pound it yesterday, Senator.
1t is the abolition of war.
1t takes long decades, of course
before that could be accom-
plished; but you have to make a
start. There is no halfway SUBJ
stitute. You, of all men, should
know that, as the expert in
atomic warfare. And, the
sooner we tackle that basic prob
lent is no more difficult to
settle that problem than it is
these various problems that come
up, that are corollary to it.
1 believe that that should be
done. There was great evidence
OF that in Japan. You spoke of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So the
Japanese people. more than any
other people on the world, under
stand what an atomic warfare
means. It wasn't academic with
them. They counted their dead,
and they buried them.
They. of their own volition,
wrote into their constitution a
provision outlawing war. -.
And :. If there was any pro-
vision in that constitution which
appealed to the popular senti-
ment of the people of Japan, it
was that provision.
Time Is Running Out.
There was warrior tribe which,
for centuries, had pursued war,
and successful war, but the great
concept, the losses, the great les
sons the bomb had taught them,
had been understood, and they
were trying to apply it.
Now, the world should have
common sense enough, when it
surveys the last two wars, to un-
derstand what I tried to bring out
yesterday, and my own thought
that it had become the method of
suicide for modern civilization, if
they engaged in this type of
combat.
I therefore believe that time is
running out on us.
said, at the end of the world
war, the Second World War, that
we have had our last chance, and
I believe it firmly. and, as I said
yesterday, I believe that SO per
cent of the people of the world
believe that.
1t is the establishment of the
mechanics that are so difficult.
That, Senator, is my suggested
solution, that you try, through
the United Nations, or some other
forum, to get an agreement with
the nations that they will accept
that formula and try to have their
constitutional bodies, their legis-
latures debate it and see who
are the people that stand out
against it.
I understand thoroughly that
no one nation is going to put it
into effect, until practically all
do-al the great nations do,
anyway.
The great nations would set the
norm.
If the four or five great nations
should do It, it would be impos-
sible for any one else to violate it.
Discuss that, and if you have to
pass such a legislative fiat, do it
conditionally, upon the others
take the normal leadership of the
world, which is ours, and try some
thing like that.
We are not making great prog
resS along the normal lines of
diplomacy.
That, Senator, if I should have
the temerity to make a sugges-
ton. And only do it in response
to the questions that have been
asked-would be my answer.
Senator Northumberland, Il
am in complete agreement with
what you have said. There
have been steps taken by this
country such as the so-called
Baruch plan, which became the
United Nations plan for the con-
troll of atomic energy, with which
you are familiar.
I think it is important in these
hearings, General, that we see
what areas of agreement we have
as well as areas of disagreement. |
I know you agree to that.
Gen. MacArthur.-Correct.
Senator Mcmahon. - And we
have also had the President of the
United States. particularly in his
speech at the dedication of the
United Nations, go on record as
being in favor of a plan which
will beat the swords into plow
shares so that the world will not
know war any more.
The President on that occasion
pointed out that if the armaments
expenditures that we were max
ing could be reduced and that
problem, that great expense mini
mized, that we would have the
wherewithal to try to bring a lit
tie more food. a little better hov-
els. to these people whom you sug-
gested in China were being moved
to action by that condition.
General. I made that sugges-
tion in February of 1850 when We
announced that we were going
about the building of a hydrogen
weapon which the scientists tell
us could be built, which if used
might kill ten million people: and
I suggested it was high time that
we started a moral crusade for
peace and that we make an offer
in the United Nations to get ef-
fective disarmament and at the
same time develop a pool for the
improving of the living stand
ards Of the people of the earth.
Does that come within the con-
cept, general, of what you would
call moral leadership?