The Allies and the Charter
The formal approval of the Atlantic Charter on Wednesday by the Allied Governments at present domiciled in London and by the Government of the Soviet Union is an event of considerable importance, for it means that the Governments concerned have decided after full deliberation to accept unreservedly principles whose recognition may in some cases involve a definite change in national policies. Russia, for example, in abjuring all territorial aggrandisement, must be held to waive all claim to the Polish territory she has acquired since Poland was first invaded, while the Poles themselves must be a little concerned as to how far the inhabitants of some parts of their former territory now acquire the right of self- determination. Now that the application of the Atlantic Charter is being discussed as a practical proposition, as of course it should be, it is important to decide what its starting- point is. It must clearly provide for the restoration of the status quo existing some time earlier than the outbreak of the present war. The forcible annexation of Austria took place in March, 1938. That, emphatically, is a territorial change which must not stand unless it accords with the freely-expressed wishes of the Austrian people ; which suggests that the aim • must be a return to pre-1938 frontiers in Europe, subject to any changes consistent with the principles of the Atlanic Charter. No change achieved by force can be valid for that reason, but certain changes made by force may in spite of that be validated on other grounds. The Dutch Foreign Minister's demurrer to the " existing obligations " reservation in the clause dealing with equality of trade conditions and access to raw materials portends much future argument.
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