Urges Statement On Allies’ War, Peace Aims

Northern Advocate, 24 January 1940, Page 5

Urges Statement On Allies’ War, Peace Aims

LONDON, January 22. Referring in a broadcast speech to the attitude of the British people toward the war, the Archbishop of York <Dr. William Temple) said the conviction that even some years of war. with all' its horrors, was better than the spread of Nazi tyranny, had not lost its hold upon British people's minds. Although he thought it clear that

fighting against that tyranny was /, fighting for the checking of the war evil, there still remained a consuming * interest in the question how the opportunity created by eventual victory could be used. He suggested that any doubts might be resolved by two statements.

Restoration of Poles, Czechs

The first was a statement of war aims, and this, Dr. Temple felt, was the restoration of the Polish and Czech peoples as fully independent and able to take part in the settlement of the peace terms. Slovakia must also have the opportunity of determining her future, while that of Austria should probably be settled in the process of actual peace-making. The second statement was that of the peace aims. A precise statement of the terms of settlement was impossible, the Archbishop said, but he thought it possible that, in principle, two courses of action might be pledged.

Allow War Irons to Cool.

The first was to postpone the meeting of the conference to settle permanent peace terms for .a long enough period after the cessation of hostilities to allow the irons of war to cool.

This might involve a preliminary conference to settle a temporary truce. The second course was to pledge ourselves to settle the permanent peace terms in a general European Congress, with full resort to a third party on points where agreement could not be reached.

“The fact that Hitler might, and probably would • reject the terms is no reason for not stating them,” said the Archbishop.

‘‘On the contrary, it is a vfcry good Reason for doing so. “Our statement and his rejection would act as a stimulus to the war effort of our people. “Later, when disappointment or anxiety altered the mood of the Germans, Hitler would stand before them as a leader who had rejected honourable conditions of peace."