Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

Page 20 text:

TIGER ‘43 security and economic and social jus- tice, even though by trial and error. The difference between the two choices would mean the difference be- tween losing and winning the peace- between putting Humpty Dumpty back on his wall and resuming the turmoil of 1939, or profiting by the mistakes of Versailles. The pattern we take after the war depends upon the attention we give the problem now. Change based on the utilization of past experiences is the keynote of the second alternative. The Greeks said that war is the father of change — and change can be for good or evil or a combination of both. If we have the courage and intelligence not to fear wise changes, we can make this v ar give us a better America and a better world. Change in the political sphere would be directed toward greater in- ternational cooperation. Even in a highly interdependent world, it might be possible by sufficiently dras- tic planning to maintain a state of isolationism: but the outcome is im- probable. “Isolation and neutrality have been tested and found wanting. “ Says Russell Davenport: “Cain never received an answer to his outraged question, ‘Am I my brother’s keep- er?’ But the answer is: ‘You are.’’’ An international trend is preferable: it is not, as the ever-active isolationist would have us believe, mere idealis- tic raving. International cooperation would involve closer union and more sym- pathetic understanding between the United Nations, especially in the case of Russia and China: the prevention of a psychology of revenge: and the rehabilitation of the agriculture, economy, and health of Europe. Costly? Yes, but less costly than an- other huge war — the inevitable re- sult of social and economic unrest. Federation of weak nations is another phase of international co- operation. Realizing that small coun- tries offer temptations to aggressors, the exiled governments of Poland and Czechoslovakia have already made a pact of union. Federal union in Europe would be desirable from the British viewpoint because it will facilitate traveling conditions on the continent. Federation can be successfully undertaken to a certain extent: but nationalism which has been given an added impetus by the war unfort- unately cannot now be abolished. But to offset European nationalism and imperialism, national indepen- dence would be gradually extended to Asia. Backward nations, now rapidly becoming modernized, will not much longer suffer domination by some distant power. This necessarily im- plies the end of imperialism — a wel- come change. As one writer expressed 18

Page 19 text:

TIGER ‘43 seems that there are five conditions which must be written into the peace. They are: 1 . Post-war air map must be drawn according to geographical principles, and not according to the Wilsonian principles of self deter- mination. 2. Except in cases of national security, all nations should be entitled to access to the air above other nations. Certain restricted areas may have to be set aside. It would be pos- sible to have certain channels set off for traffic over a country. 3. One or several powers should have control over certain areas such as Greenland, Iceland, and some of the Pacific islands. 4. Eor reasons of military security, the world’s air traffic should be divided among the United Nations.. That would mean tempor- arily excluding Germany and Japan to rule out the possibility of their using commercial lines to build up a military machine. 5. The United States should encourage competition with the var- ious countries. One of these three systems — freedom of the sea, freedom of the air, or a combination of both — will determine the future of aviation. It will take serious thinking on the part of airmen and statesmen alike. Should the wrong system be chosen, aviation could be a failure. Should the right one be chosen, a world unknown to the present past will be opened. Be- cause of the rapid transportation af- forded by the airplane, the peoples of other countries will be brought closer to the United States. They will begin to understand each other better, and one of the primary causes of war will disappear. The airplane has been a terrible instrument of destruction: but it can be and will be, we fervent- ly hope, an instrument of great good in the future. NEW HORIZONS ‘Peace bath her victories no less re- nowned than war” Milton There are two possible outcomes to this war: either we win it or the Axis does. If the latter triumphs, there is but one alternative: the pre- scription for world order, or rather disorder, as conceived by Herr Hitler and his associates, wherein there is one master race presiding over cor- ruptible (so they believe) , inferior peoples. On the other hand, if the United Nations are victorious, there are two alter natives: either pre-war conditions will be reinaugurated after slightly revising the relations between the nation states: or an effort will be made to work out some solution to the problems of obtaining political 17

Page 21 text:

TIGER ‘43 it, “the problem is not to retain for some nations repressed dependencies, but to obtain for all nations the free access to the world’s resources.’’ International cooperation pre- supposes a concert of nations similar to the old League of Nations. All causes of disputes between nations cannot be eliminated. But a dispute can be prevented from developing in- to a war if a society of nations pro- vided with an adequate police organ- ization can enforce peaceful settle- ment. A new league would be pro- vided with better opportunities for peaceful change than its predecessor and would naturally be represented by the United States and eventually by the Axis powers after they have rec eived a just retribution. France, so long a world troublemaker, has, since Napoleon’s downfall and the penal- ties then imposed, lived a decent in- ternational life. Why not Germany after Hitler’s Waterloo and after the cause of discontent, the unstable pol- itical and economic conditions, have been removed. It hardly seems that even the Germans are so impractical that, having been given a degree of security, they would start another revolt merely to satisfy their militar- istic desires. A peaceful solution of the pol- itical delemma then can be accom- plished by changes in international relations. Along with equalization of political opportunities among nations there would naturally follow equal- ization of economic opportunities, and this would mean the breaking down of tariff barriers and the se- curing of free access to markets and to raw materials for all nations. Such are the political and econ- omic changes that will probably be effected among nations if peacemakers desire to secure a just and a fair peace. Within our own country there too will be certain changes toward an equalization of economic and social conditions — “toward the breaking down of class strife and the spread of well-being and security for the individual.’’ Although to some this may sound too idealistic, it is entirely possible if we wish to meet the challenge squarely. For, as “Time’’ phrased it, “in a sprawling and devastated world, America is a treasury of hope.’’ To face a post- war world the United States has enough factories, enough foodstuffs, enough ships, enough airplanes, enough materials and synthetics, and enough projects. But with all these great resouces we shall undoubtedly be faced with mass unemployment in the recon- struction era. While plants are being converted to a peace-time basis, while shortage of civilian goods are bein replaced, and while the ruined cities of Europe are being rebuilt, every- body might be kept busy. What then? With the flood of demobilized sol- 19