CORWIN'S TWELVE POINTS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 397, 31 January 1947, Page 20

CORWIN'S TWELVE POINTS

HE shape of Norman Corwin’s forthcoming shows, resulting from his world trip, became apparent recently when he made his formal report to the sponsoring organisations which had selected him as first winner of the Wendell Willkie Memorial "One World" award. Out of this report, summarised in 12 conclusions, came almost naturally the outline of a series of shows. Here is a summary of Corwin’s 12 points: 1, We seem to be farther from Willkie’s One World to-day than we were when his thesis became the best-selling book in America... . None of us will get far in any direction if the leading powers of the world fail to set an example. 2. The reservoir of good will toward the United States about which Willkie spoke enthusiastically in 1942 has drained to a dangerously low level. (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) 3. A powerful and elemental sense of fairness, as well as an overwhelming will and anxiety for peace, pervades all the peoples of the earth. 4. It seemed to me that the greatest peril to-day is:a sort of Frankensteinian phobia created by factions who would have people everywhere believe there is no room in one world for more than one economic and social system. In view of the existing facts, such a world obviously could not be achieved without a war in which one crushes the other. . . . And the most important contribution to be made towards this goal is to convince the peoples of the world that a war is not inevitable. No Impasse 5. In view of the existing tendency to diplomatic impasse, the principle of mutual compromise must replace the Gibraltar complex in international politics. 6. I believe the democracies of the West should watch with neighbourly interest and good will, rather than with distrust, the social experimentation of countries like Czechoslovakia, Australia and New Zealand, all of whom are trying to reconcile extremes of¢ socialism and private enterprise. 7. One of the most frequently and strongly reiterated impressions of the entire trip was that the United States, in the eyes of the rest of the world, is a collossus without precedent and without peer... . that peace lies not in our stars, but in us. 8. I believe all nations should acknowledge more readily the principle of cultural exchange, especially as it applies between countries whose political relations are strained. 5 9. I believe freedom of information is an international must, but to establish it, we must abrogate freedom of misinformation. Let the radio, press and cinema of the world... . regulate themselves so that misinformation becomes a punishable violation of their own laws. 10. I believe that the world would benefit greatly if two pieces of modern writing were made compulsory reading in every classroom of the countries of the United Nations: Willkie’s One World, and Hersey’s Hiroshima. 11. I believe from what I’ve seen, that to despair of the world is to resign from it. I believe that to assume human nature is committed: to anothér war is to assume that suicide is the only solution to our problems. 12. I have lost no hope, I believe that ultimately we will find unity and brotherhood in this world, but that the quest will go on through terrible trials and agonies, until a true democracy, not merely a lip-service democracy, is achieved for the entire world. I believe each of us can assist in this mammoth task.