“No Immediate Danger Of War”-Byrnes

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1946, Page 5

“No Immediate Danger Of War”-Byrnes

AGREES WITH STALIN

Paris, Oct. 3. In a speech to the American Club to-day, Mr. J. F. Byrnes, U.S. Secretary of State, said he heartily agreed with Marshal Stalin that there was no immediate danger of war.

“I hope this statement will put an end to unwarranted charges that any nation or eroup of nations is seeking to the Soviet Union, or that responsible leaders of the Soviet Union so believe,” he said.

Mr. Byrnes added that he hoped the statement would also dismiss unwarranted charges that the United States was seeking to use possession of the atomic bomb as a threat of force against Russia. FOLIA TO IGNORE CONFLICT “After every great war which has been won by the combined efforts of many nations there has been conflict among the Allies in the making of peace,” he continued. “It would be folly to deny the seriousness of the conflict of viewpoints among the Allies after this war. To ignore this conflict or to minimise its seriousness would not solve differences or help peace. On the other hand, to exaggerate the conflict and its seriousness would only make the task more difficult.”

He did not believe that any responsible official in any Government wanted war, but the difficulty was that nations might pursue policies or a course of action which would lead to war. Nations might seek political and economic advantages which they could not obtain without war. MUST NOT PLANT SEED OF WAR

“We must decry not only war, but the things which lead to war. It is easy to get everyone to agree that war is evil, but it is not so easy to get agreement as to the things which lead to war. The greatest care must be taken not to plant the seed of future war. We must seek to explain actions to those who did not agiZs with us, but our defence must be the defence of justice and freedom and the defence of political and economic rights not only for a few privileged men and nations, but for all men and nations.

“America learned from Pearl Harbour that this is one world and that she could not isolate herself from it. This time she is determnied not to retreat into a policy of isolationism.

“President Truman has consistently followed the policies inaugurated by Mr. Roosevelt and has consistently urged the carrying out in the liberated and former fnemy States of Europe the policies on which the heads of Governments agreed at Yalta.”