Lord Halifax on War and Peace
Britain's principal war aim, said Lord Halifax in his wise, reflective speech at the Pilgrims' dinner in New York last Tuesday, is to " win this life-and-death struggle for the cause of human freedom "; but he added that it would be Dead Sea fruit unless we could also achieve the greatest peace-aim, which must be that of securing the world against a repetition of the tragedy. Lord Halifax has far too keen a sense of all the problematic issues involved to attempt to evolve in detail a programme of policy for a post-war settlement. The time has not yet come for any such pronouncement—the data for judgement are as yet unknown. But we can foresee, as he said, that there will only be freedom and security if nations are prepared to co-operate for mutual economic welfare and, if need be, for mutual defence. For such experience of voluntary co- operation he pointed to the precedent of the British Common- wealth of Nations. Their capacity to act together has been proved, and affords surely an object lesson for the building up of a wider system of co-operation. In this war we have to show Germany that her methods and her traditional ambitions do not pay ; and after the war until we are satisfied of Germany's co-operation the nations who believe in peace and freedom must retain sufficient armed strength to make their will effective. Lord Halifax expressed the hope that in this as in other matters the American and British peoples would appreciate that an immense responsibility rests jointly upon them. Unless they realise that, with all its implications, there will be no permanent peace or security.
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