SAFEGUARDING THE FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 265, 7 August 1942, Page 4

SAFEGUARDING THE FUTURE

It is deeply significant that within the course of the last few davs men who could be regarded as fully qualified to speak foi their respective parties in the United States, Mr. Cordell Hull (Democrat) and Mr. Wendell Willkie (Republican), have both expressed the opinion that in the post-war world there must be united provision for dealing with any threat of armed aggression. Mr. Hull spoke of a surveillance over the present aggressors “until they demonstrated their willingness and ability to live at ptace with others, and he added that the duration of that surveillance would depend upon the people of the Axis countries. Mr. Willkie, advocating an international effort to end excess nationalism, urged the inclusion of a system of a joint international'force, if necessary.” Both these statements mark an important departure from the old policy of abstention from definite commitments abroad, and will create renewed hope for the establishment of some form of international organization that will forever banish the threat of wai. Already many able minds are directing their thoughts to this aspect of postwar policy, and some have stressed the fact that it would be neithei a costly nor a cumbersome matter to maintain an international force that would be effective. The construction and maintenance of an international air force would provide a striking power which few countries would care, or indeed be able, to challenge, and the cost of construction would be possibly that of one super-battleship. When shared by the nations it would be a"cheap insurance policy, and the force would have a mobility not equalled by any other Service. The leaders of public opinion in the Allied countries are rendering a great service by keeping before the people these wide possibilities of the post-war period. They do not conflict with, or detiact fiom, the efforts to carry the war through to a successful conclusion, but really add to the purpose of the struggle and make the issues clear. In this promise of the rule of law in international affaiis the peoples of the countries now crushed by the aggressors will see then so e hope of relief from aggression, both at the end of this conflict ana in the future. That in itself should be sufficient to steel their wills to endure the ills of the present and prepare, as best they can, to assist in the overthrow of the forces of the enemy. World moral and economic leadership will rest with the Allied countries, and the statements made recently, in both the United Kingdom and the Unite States, indicate that the” in separable responsibilities will be shouldered. The unity of effort that exists’today will be maintained for the purposes of construction, and aggression must not be allowed to resume its destructive way. ‘