OF

THE MOMEN
TRUTH

» By IVOR MONTAGUE

In bullfighting “the moment of truth” is the moment when the
matador, having weakened the bull, stands poised to end the conflict with
a sword-thrust or become trampled beneath its feet and horns.

Such a moment of climax is approaching in the long fight of the

peoples for peace.

The time has now come to
take a serious step away from
the brinks of war. The issues
have become clear-cut.

FOR a continuation of the
cold war, the arms race, the
policy of force — building up
to an eventual explosion that
will inflict untold losses on
mankind;

OR FOR a beginning of dis-
engagement materially, and
from war psychology — mea-
sures, calculated and perfect-
ly possible, that confer no
military advantage or disad-
vantage on either mutually
trustful group.

The issues are now posed
plainly in two fields — that
of a German peace settle-
ment, and of an agreement to
end the testing of nuclear
weapons,

The question with Germany
is whether to end the un-
natural situation whereby
there are two Germany’s,
both occupied by foreign
forces, precariously confront-
ing one another.

® The relics of the late war
agreements — unmodified for
144 years — leave West Ber-
lin as a cold-war base from
which to organize sabotage

and espionage throughout
Eastern Europe.

2 ey - 5
cam a FE dhe) cys fl

P vor

‘

You |
GAINST ATOMIC RADIATION!

BE SHIELBES FROM CONTAMINATIO
and FLASH BURNS by the ATOMICAPE

ATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR

@® Nuclear warfare comes
more and more beneath con-
trol of armed elements whose
command was deeply impli-
cated in Hitler’s war.

@® Refusal to settle Ger-
many’s eastern _ frontiers
leaves a jurisdictional, basis
open for a German revenge
war.

The alternative is to begin
a new system which guaran-
tees social freedom to the in-

habitants of West Berlin;
stabifizes the frontiers; be-
gins a controlled thinning-

“out; checks the nuclear arma-

ment drive in the region; es-
tablishes relations between
East and West Germany,
based on recognition of fact,
enabling them gradually to
grow together.

Those only can object to

the latter course who are
stuck with the old idea that
somehow, somewhere, the

“West” will be strong enough
to’ impose its will on the
“East” by force — that some-
how, somewhere it can win a
war without bringing utter
destruction upon its own peo-
ple in the attempt.

There may
time

have been a
(pre-sputnik?) when

such a dream made military
sense. That time, if it ever

as rie Se

be od

ge/f...

MONEY REFUNDED]

This is reproduced from an advertisement which appeared
a few years ago in a California newspaper. It is a sales
appeal for an atomic cape purportedly designed to prevent
burning. The last line says your money will be cheerfully

refunded if it fails to work.

was, is now -gone forever.
But there are many whose
whole careers and faith are
linked to it: Dulles, Ade-
nauer, Strauss, the brutal
jacknapes of the Pentagon.

For the
policy of
appraisal — with all their il-
lusions in dust and ashes — is
indeed agonizing.

these, necessary

The Geneva negotiations on
ending weapon ~tests have
shown conclusively that all
the requirements of the past
for such agreements — equal-
ity, certainty of control, mu-
tual benefit — are easily at-
tainable.

There remains’ no possible
technical obstacle in the way
of an agreement which, how-
ever limited its nominal scope,
would be decisive in turning
the military and the experts
of both camps from tasks of
rivalry to those of collabora-
tion. ;

The cold-war warriors are
up against it. They are cor-
nered. Their hopes have been
bankrupted by events. And at
the same time never have
they been so isolated, never
have their theories of the
“moral” necessity to refuse
agreement been so unpopular.

The strength of the peace
movement with a small “p”
and ‘“‘m’”—compounded of many
different forms and operating
not only in special peace or-
ganizations, new and old, but
through governments, tradi-
tional political parties, religious
bodies, trade unions, Co-opera-
tives, indeed in a thousand
varying shapes — is so great
that it is dragging the Western
statesmen (some sullen, some
niggling, but none daring open-
ly to decline) inexorably to-
ward the Summit they have
so often belittled and derided.

- Discontent with the whole
thesis of cold war is becoming
universal. The most varied
reasons work all together. In
such countries as Britain, West-
ern Europe and Japan the
people see themselves treated
as military expendable in the
event of any outbreak, =
From far South America, to
the idle or short-time factories
_of England, people see the
barriers to normal trade affect-

:

contemporary re--

A soldier returns home

ing their livelihood and marr-
ing their prosperity.

From South -East Asia to
Norfolk, the “necessities” of
cold war military strategy pro-
vide the pretext for stationing
of foreign troops, or even in-
tervention to maintain military
governments that never sub-
mit their power to popular
endorsement,

In Africa and the Middle
East, peoples aspiring to demo-
cratic status are told that cold
war strategies and risks pro-
vide additional reason why
these must be denied, and the
aspirations toward them greet.
ed with repression.

The possibilities of better
life for all—realisable from full
exploitation of existing scien-
tific knowledge, so soon as co-
operation replaces cold war
hostilities—are becoming ap-
preciated and intensifying im-
patience with the obstruction-
ists.

Everywhere people are sick
of the aged politicians who
pride themselves on standing
pat, the soldiers who unctuous-
ly prate of world destruction

avs

from the Korean war.

every time their pride is pin-
pricked, ?

This tidal wave of disgust
is evidence of the strength of
peace. pie

It is the fruit of the tireless
work over years, of the great
campaigns such as those of the
World Peace Council for th
Stockholm Appeal, and
cession and reinforcems
the new national or re
movements, such as those
have led to Hiroshima D
the Aldermaston marches
the conferences at Ca
elsewhere.

The Bureau’ of the W
Peace Council, meeting in]

cow and representing 7
tries, declared:

“We are resolved to supp
unreservedly the efforts of
those who act in whatever way.
for peace, for we are convit ed
that the salvation of m
requires the efforts of
ward this common aim,

And this is the right
—because not one peace acti

ity can advance, anywhere,
without it being a succes
everywhere, for everybody.

yf

May 1, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE |