Good European

When Winston Churchill's voice, alone, against the night of Nazified Europe, proclaimed the determination of free men to remain free or die, his listeners were stirred chiefly by the thunder-roll of his defiance. Few sensed how subtly they were also stirred by the overtones of Europe's high cultural tradition reverberating through those speeches. For almost alone among the world's statesmen, Churchill is a "good European" in the Nietzschean sense--by birth a patriot of Britain, by the mind a sharer in the only unity Europe has achieved--unity of culture. Last week, once more as master of ennobling language and as a good European, Churchill spoke to Europe.

At the University of Zurich (one of Europe's oldest seats of learning) in the federated Republic of Switzerland (one of Europe's oldest democracies), he called upon Europe's shattered nations to federate or perish. He said:

"I wish to speak to you today about the tragedy of Europe. This noble continent, comprising on the whole the fairest and the most cultivated regions of the earth, enjoying a temperate and equable climate, is the home of all the great parent races of the Western world. It is the foundation of Christian faith and Christian ethics.

"It is the origin of most of the culture, art, philosophy and science, both of ancient and modern times. If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there would be no limit to the happiness, the prosperity and the glory which its 300 million or 400 million people would enjoy. . . .

"But over wide areas a vast quivering mass of tormented, hungry, careworn and bewildered human beings gaze on the ruins of their cities and scan the dark horizon for the approach of some new peril, tyranny or terror. Among the victors there is a babel of voices, among the vanquished a sullen silence of despair. . .."

Great Design. "There is a remedy which, if it were generally and spontaneously adopted by the great majority of people in the many lands, would, as if by a miracle, transform the whole scene and would in a few years make all Europe, or the greater part of it, as free and as happy as Switzerland is today.

"What is this sovereign remedy?

"It is to re-create the European family, or as much of it as we can, and to provide it with a structure under which it can dwell in peace, in safety and in freedom. We must build a kind of United States of Europe.

"I was very glad to read in the newspapers two days ago that my friend President Truman had expressed his interest and sympathy with this great design. There is no reason why a regional organization of Europe should in any way conflict with the world organization of the United Nations. . . .

"In order that this may be accomplished, there must be an act of faith in which millions of families speaking many languages must consciously take part. We all know that the two world wars through which we have passed arose out of a vain passion of a newly united Germany to play a dominating part in the world. . . .

"The guilty must be punished. Germany must be deprived of the power to rearm and make another aggressive war. But when all this has been done, as it will be done, as it is being done, then there must be an end to retribution."

Act of Oblivion. "There must be what Mr. Gladstone called a blessed act of oblivion. We must all turn our backs upon the horrors of the past. We must look to the future. We cannot afford to drag forward across the years that are to come the hatreds and revenges which have sprung from the injuries of the past. . . .

"I am now going to say something which will astonish you. The first step in the re-creation of the European family must be a partnership between France and Germany. In this way only can France recover the moral and cultural leadership of Europe. There can be no revival of Europe without a spiritually great France and a spiritually great Germany. . . .

"The ancient states and principalities of Germany, newly joined together into a federal system, might take their individual place among the United States of Europe. . . ."

Atomic Shield. "If we are to form a United States of Europe, or whatever name it may take, we must begin now. In these present days we dwell strangely and precariously under the shield, and I will even say protection, of the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb is still only in the hands of a state and nation which we know will never use it except in the cause of right and freedom. But it may very well be that in a few years this awful agency of destruction will be widespread and the catastrophe following from its use by several warring nations will not only bring to an end all that we call civilization but may possibly disintegrate the globe itself. . . .

"In all this urgent work, France and Germany must take the lead together. Great Britain, the British Commonwealth of Nations, mighty America and, I trust, Soviet Russia--and then indeed all would be well--must be the friends and sponsors of the new Europe. Let Europe arise!"

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.