Evening star., 1962-02-07
Leagues Obiectiyes

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The recent letter from Mrs.
r. M. Barnes questioning our
organizations motives re-
fleets a widespread miscon-
ception as to the nature of
peace and disarmament. She
thinks they are unrelated to
such matters as tariffs, i'm
migration policy, etc., but
many historians would dis
agree. AS longtime men,
bers of the Women's Inter-
national League for Peace
and Freedom, we would like
to explain that organizations
view.
The WILPF NEEDLES" in
many aspects of Government
policy making because it be-
lieveS that the arms race is
both symptom and cause of
tensions between nations
that can lead to war. Hence
as an international organi-
zation it urges action by all
governments to reduce the
courses of those tensions
whether they be of economic,
social, or political origin.
The League believes that un-
til a minimum of world law
is achieved capable of estab-
fishing order and the instru-
ments of peaceful change, the
best hope lies in achieving
U. N. = controlled disarma-
ment. Hence it calls urgent
ly for representation of all
countries in that body-es-
pecially all that are poten-
TALLY nuclear powers, like
the Peoples Republic of
China.
The WILPF Is an inter-
national organization be-
cause its members believe
that joint action by people
in many countries is neces-
sary to persuade governments
to make the accommodations
of policy necessary for peace.
The League has opposed at
tempts by all governments
to cripple the U. N. or to
bend it to specifically ma
tional objectives. It opposes
violence and the threat of
violence as Self-defeating
ways to seek peace and free
dom, thus the United States
Section of the WILPF has
opposed the Russian reSump-
tion of atmospheric nuclear
tests Just as it opposes such
action by our own Govern
ment. 1t opposed the Rus
sian repression of the Hun
garian revolt of 1856 just as
it opposed the United States
abortive intervention in Cuba
in 1861.
Such "meddling" has
earned the United States
Section of the League the
distinction that two of its
past presidents - Jane Ad-
dams and Emily Gree
Balch-are the only Ameri-
can women who have received
the Nobel Prize for Peace.
The WILPF is happy to see
other groups work for any
part of its objectives. It is
natural that women through
out the country are express
ing their revulsion against
the inhumanity of the arms
race and the dangers of even
peace time fallout, through
movements such as the
Women's Strike for Peace.
And it is natural that some
WILPF members are among
the leaders of the Peace
Strike" That movement has
no official relation to the
WILPF, and its program is
a more limited one. Prob
ably it would be difficult to
find a policy consensus
among the Peace Strikers"
on anything more than that
our Government should ne
gotiate in good faith for dis
armament and that it should
not resume atmospheric nu-
clear tests. At a recent press
conference the President said
that he received their mes
sage" and it is to be hoped
that he will be thereby heart
ened to continue the present
course of not resuming these
tests.
Catherine S. MannO.
Member of Legislative Com
mittee, United States Sec
ton.
Helen Rex ShrOyef.
President, D. C. Area Branch,
WILPF.
+ 4 4 +
Contrary to Mrs. Barnes
charge, the WILPF has
always opposed totalitarian-
ism of both left and right.
Our recommendation of the
seating of the Peoples Re
public of China at the United
Nations stems from the fact
that the United Nations can
not function as a world
organization without the
participation of a nation con-