FUTURE POWER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24758, 4 December 1943, Page 8

FUTURE POWER

TRINITY OF NATIONS GREAT TASK AHEAD MOULDING NEW WOULD SUGGESTIONS BY SMUTS By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Reed. 8.45 p.m.) LONDON, Dec 2 The Prime Minister of South Africa, Field-Marshai Smuts, in a recent address to the United Kingdom branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association, spoke of Britain's place in the modem world and organisation problems of the Commonwealth and Empire. He suggested that some colonies be grouped and more closely linked to certain Dominions. The United Nations, said the speaker, might be faced with questions so vast, complicated, difficult and intractable that they might have to be satisfied with a comprehensive armistice ending the war, and to leave the rest of the problems to a long series of conferences without coming to any general peace conference; The new world organisation for security must provide not only for freedom and democracy, but leadership and power. That could be done more effectively than on the Covenant of the League of Nations by giving the proper place to Britain, the United States and Kussia, who now formed a trinity at the head of the United Nations fighting the cause of humanity. As in war, so in peace the Great Powers must be responsible in the first instance for the maintenance of security and the preservation of world peace, and this primary responsibility would not be affected by any resting on the rest of the United Nations. Great Powers Disappearing The lesson also had been learned that the new organisation to be erected after the war must attend as efficiently to economic as political conditions. Field-Marshal Smuts then directed attention to what was happening now and the state of affairs at the end of the war. "In Europe three of the five Great Powers will have disappeared,' he said. "We have never seen such a situation in the modern history of this continent. France has gone, and if ever she returns it will be a hard, long, upward pull to emerge again. We are dealing with one of the greatest and most far-reaching catastrophes in history, the like of which 1 have not read "Italy has completely disappeared and may never be a Great Power again. Germany at the end will disappear, perhaps never to emerge again in her old form. The Germans are great people with great qualities, and Germany will be written off the slate for long, long Tears, and after that a new world may Lave arisen. New Colossus in Europe "We therefore are left with Britain and Russia. Russia is the new Colossus that bestrides Europe. With the others down and out and herself mistress of the Continent, her power will not only be' great on that account but still greater because the Japanese empire ■will also have gone. You will have Russia in a position no country has ever occupied m the history of Europe. "Britain will have glory, honour and prestige such, perhaps, as no nation has ever enjoyed in history, recognised as possessing, a greatness of soul that entered the very substance of world history. But from a material and economic point of view she will be a poor country. She has put in her all. This country has held nothing back. There is nothing left in the _ till. _ She has put body, soul, everything in to -win the battle of mankind. She will win, 'but will come out poor in substance Place lor Small Nations "The British Empire and Commonwealth remains as before among the greatest things in the world, and nothing can touch that fact, but the Empire and Commonwealth is mostly extraEuropean. Many look to a closer union of the United States and Britain ■with the Commonwealth and Empire, but this would stir up international enmity which might lead to still more colossal struggles for world power. While he attached the greatest importance to Anglo-American co-opera-tion, Field-Marshal Smuts said they must stick to the trinity of Britain, the United States and Russia. He put forward the idea that Britain should strengthen her European position by working closely with the small democracies of Western Europe, "which are entirely with us in outlook and way of life and ideals." By themselves these democracies might be lost, as they were lost to-day. They at last had been taught that neutrality was obsolete, and they must feel that their place was with those in this trinity. The system evolved in the Commonwealth opened the door to developments of that kind. The Commonwealth was a group of sovereign States, living together in peace and war under a system that stood the greatest possible strain. Decentralisation from London It was for the Western European nations to settle "whether they should not help themselves by helping to create out of closer union with Britain a great European State, great not only in world-wide ramifications, but as a Power on this continent, an equal partner with other colossal Powers in the leadership of nations." Referring to the present centralisation of the Empire and decentralisation of the Commonwealth, Field-Marshal Smuts expressed doubt whether this dualism was safe. In the colonies he had found criticism of this situation. "The Briton resents being run brothers, and at a distance, he said. "The question is whether there should not be an approach between the two systems and so gradually bring the Empire and the Commonwealth closer." Decentralisation from London would give administrative powers to some very small or primitive units, and he suggested grouping smaller units and abolishing some which had arisen haphazard. "Where there will be new and larger groups you will find it possible_ to bring these closer to a neighbouring Dominion, thereby interesting the Dominion in the colonial group." AMERICAN PROMOTIONS LONDON, Dec. 2 United States Army headquarters has announced the promotion of Briga-dier-General Frederick L. Anderson, commanding general of the Eighth Army Air Force Bomber Command in Britain, to major-general, and that of Colonel Leon W. Johnson, commanding officer of the Liberator group, to briga-dier-general. Both officers have been significantly connected with carrying out large-scale aerial offensive now shattering targets in enemy-occupied Europe.