AWAKENING OF THE CONSCIENCE OF MAN

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24820, 9 March 1946, Page 6

AWAKENING OF THE CONSCIENCE OF MAN

VICTORY AND AFTER

Towards the close of the Montague Burton Lecture on international relations which Dr. GILBERT MURRAY. O.M. recently delivered at Leeds University, taking "Victory and After as his title, there warodelivered the passages printed below. Their bearing on the SreTent rt'aUons of Britain P the United States, and Russia, and narticularly on the problem of the "iron curtain” described by Mr P Churchill in his Missouri speech, is close and clear.

A totalitarian State is one which does not tolerate any opposition or criticism, either at home or abroad. It excludes broadcasts from foreign countries and punishes those who contrive to listen to them. It does not admit foreign correspondents or military experts to the front. It gives no freedom to what are called the “libS'ated” countries to choose their own government; it imposes a government guaranteed to be obedient to the liberator. ± . ... This policy may seem to us terribly aggressive, but it is not necessarily that. To the Soviet Government it may seem merely defensive and natural. The theory of a totalitarian government, whether Fascist or Communist, is that the existing system is absolutely right; any opposition to the government is treason, therefore obviously there must be only one political party.

Furthermore, they will argue: “Since- our system is right and the systems of all foreign States wrong and dangerous. the less our people hear of them the better. We are engaged on a great enterprise which needs the undivided loyalty of the whole nation; if we let in foreign broadcasts or foreign journalists and observers, our people’s ideas may be confused or fheir faith shaken. If we permit States with alien systems to exist on our borders, still worse if we permit governments not sympathetic to Russia, our grand experiment may be spoilt.”

Now I only want to make one criticism on this attitude. I do not wish to consider whether the systems established so successfully in Russia, so unsuccessfully in Germany and Italy, were good or bad; a case can be made out for giving the Russian system every chance of success and admitting no distracting influences to interfere with it. My one point is that this attitude is quite inconsistent with the ideal of the United Nations. The Difference The very essence of that ideal is constant co-operation, mutual consultation, understanding, and a readiness of each member of the organisation to make, on occasion, sacrifices to the welfare of the whole. There is a difference in the fundamental philosophies of the two forms of government. The totalitarian treats human relations and political theories as if they were mathematical formulae, abso-

lutely right or else absolutelv wrorr If you happen to possess the system that is absolutely right, why should you listen to the poisonous nonsense of those who sre wrong? - The Liberal faith, from which the Charter of the United Nations spring, sees clearly that human relations are not, like mathematical formulae, absolutely right or else absolutely wronethey vary in infinite gradations, they always want looking after, they can always be improved; and different human societies can often learn from one another. The most vital distinction of all ji one that we have seen tragically itlustrated in these last years. The Liberal nations freely admit that all political theories and partisan views are ftl. lible and in need of correction as experience increases, while the basic rules of what we call Christian moral. 1 ity. though it is far older than Christianity, are—how shall I pul it?— almost certain, almost eternal. We an sure that if your politics lead to crinm your politics must be reconsidered. The totalitarian- treats his political system as certain; and if the accepted rules of morality have to be broken by it. so much the worse for morality, The traditional role of Britain In particular is to interpret nations to one another. The American tradition of economic protection and polities) isolation, the Russian tradition secrecy and suspicion towards their western neighbours, must sooner or later be worn down and changed by the growth of mutual intimacy in a new League of Nations. A Voice for the World’s Conscietm "I base my hope of the future on two forces, both having power to penetrate unconsciously minds that seem bitterly closed against them; that is, on the spread of Truth and on the wakening of the conscience of mas. kind. Both lie within the power of our new organisation. The main cau» of all the crimes and miseries of the last 10 years has been the dominance of the organised lie. That we cbi stop. We can establish, for instance, some system of world broadcasting ot objective and well-attested facts which will prevent whole nations being not merely imprisoned in ignorance tat fed cn deliberate and organised mythl. Secondly, we can by means of the Assembly of the Organisation, when facing problems ot peace and war and all the greatest moral issues, give a voice to the conscience of the world. If strict technical investigation i« barred, discussion at the Assembly remains free. To the seeker for justice I would say, “In hoc signo Vinces." The spread of truth, the public opinion of the world. . . .