PEACE PLANS

Grey River Argus, 22 August 1944, Page 4

PEACE PLANS

ALLIED PARLEY IN U.S.A.

Outline of U.S. Proposals

I (Rec. 6.30) NEW YORK, Aug. 20. The “New York Times” correspondent at Washington savs: The purpose of the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, beginning on Monday, is both complex anq inspiring. It is the reconciling of two conflicting principles—nationalism and international action to create collaboration of the Great Powers in a system of collective security without infringing rights of smaller Powers, but furthering the goal of perpetual peace. The United States, Russia and Britain have drafted broad outlines of a security organisation they would like to see formed. None of these outlines has -been published, but certain facts are known. For example, all three propose a world organisation composed of an assembly of .all peaceloving Powers of the world; also a Council which -would have final executive powers in deciding whether to aply military force against any aggressor or potential aggressor, and a'kvorld court to deal with judiciable international disputes. All three schemes restrict the assembly of all nations to an advisory capacity. All three suggest that Britain, United States, Russia and China should be permanent members of the Council. All three stipulate that each of the four permanent members should have the right to veto any proposal that its own armed forces be used against an aggressor. In other words, under all three plans each of the Great Powers is protected against the possibility, that any combination of nations could vote to put it into war against its will. Apparently there are some minor differences in suggestions about the total number of members to sit on the Council, also about the vote necessary in the Council before military sanctions could be imposed. None of these differences is expected to cause much trouble. It is understood that President Roosevelt is desirous of keeping the security organisations plan entirely separate from treaties of peace. His purpose is not only to keep a new League of Nations plan from being lost in the controversy over boundaries and other contentious issues, but also to seek additional powers in the peace settlement for dealing with any aggression. He hopes to see a peace treaty that, win not anly .authorise victorious Powers to disarm, demobilise And control German industry, but will authorise the executive branch of the U-S. Government to collaborate with allies of the United States in enforcing these terms of peace, even if they have to use military force to bring this about. Thus the world security organisation and the peace treaties would be separate. They would complement each other in that both would provide machinery for punishing a future violator of peace. Under the American plan for a new League a vote of Congress would be necessary before an American force could be used, thus hampering quick action. Under the American peace treaty plan, as distinguished from the security organisation plan, if the treaty I is ratified by the Senate the American executive branch would be able to take immediate action against Germany or Japan if either attempted to break the terms of the peace. This is a conference not of idealists, but of technicians. The delegates will concentrate not on how to abolish war, but on what to do when it breaks out. This pleases some observers and displeases others, but it is a fact worth noting by everyone.