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Your situation presents Mr John W. Castle's Jr in a civilian defense volunteer Office program where the letters from home and abroad business casual Good morning radio friends with all the good news we read and hear from both battlefronts we would be less than human if our hearts did not rejoice and our Mons look forward to the final achievement of those cruel they betrayed words peace in our time and yet Mr and yet Mrs Council and yet we have a grave responsibility that we each one of us must assume if we are really to make these words this peace we so long thought come true. I grew up through a point granted that the responsibility for peace was a heavy one but I do not see exactly that it is an individual responsibility it seems to me to be the responsibility of the statesman in the respect of government people trained for the job and not the responsibility of the man in the street where you have representative government missed out the man on the street must always there the responsibility for government action for it is He Who elects the government that is to take the action Yes that's true the better informed we are the more sure we can be that the action taken by our elected government is the kind of action we want it has never been as important for us to be well informed as right now when we stand on the threshold of a new world what kind of a world we want to be Mr John a world of peace sickening that is the hope of every mother and father every man woman and child but this does not come of itself nor does it remain of itself it needs machinery to make it work machinery in which all responsible nations of the world can participate that was the original idea of the League of Nations was a good yes but two things happened there one was the failure of the United States to join the league this was due in a large measure to the Thalia of the man on the street to inform itself on the necessity thaw and thanked us of the League of Nations the second reason for the ultimate breakdown of the league was in its machinery lacked an important part the power of the force meant you think this time we can do better as the result of the most tragic wars in the history of mankind we have been given a second chance I do not think it is a question of we can do better Mr child it is a question of we must do better in common decency to the future of the world we must do everything possible to create a machinery to not only establish peace in our time but to keep peace in the long time to come well how do you think we can do it everything in this country who can read all here has read all. Heard of Dumbarton Oaks and the coming San Francisco conference however many people may have only a general sort of a picture of what it is all about it is essential that everyone should clearly and specifically know what it is all about and the issues involved but how do you think we can do this with this castle by reading listening discussing Let's eavesdrop on a family of. What are you doing Philip. I'm reading an article on Dumbarton Oaks Margaret. Don't talk to me here I want to concentrate on Phil I had such a funny story about that the other day someone asked a man what he thought about Dumbarton Oaks and he said as far as he was concerned he preferred New England don't you think that's funny Philip No MARGARET Now please be quiet I'm trying to understand this thing with the San Francisco Conference starting pretty soon you're not planning to go are you from a course not dear nobody's going to have the representatives of all the nations involved and I don't see why in the world you should bother your head about it all I wish is that these dreadful words would be over in that John would come home yes I do too Margaret but I'm interested in what kind of a world John comes home to if he has offered his life for a world that will go on fighting and grabbing and killing and even more cruel and dreadful ways it's you and I and the thousands of us here at home who will be to blame Philip how can you say that you know perfectly well that if we as you say and thousands like us have any power to do anything what well we would have done something to stop the war you don't think anyone wanted to see their sons go to war do you we couldn't do anything about it if statesmen and presidents and things it's not people like us oh you're OK now coming down can't we just drop in Georgia knowledge are coming to we met them on the way over what was it you were saying about it's not people like us money we couldn't help hearing what you were saying there is we came in our market for saying that people like us the man of the street have no say when it comes to wars of peace oh you know Margaret I rather believe it is people like us who have things to say but I don't see how Duncan you when Janet didn't want your boys fighting in the Pacific but you couldn't do anything about it and George analysis will they couldn't do anything to keep their boy from being killed it's not me Margaret Hickam George and I have a small hole there everybody you know. That would come over for a chat I think George gets tired of just meal with that that's not true. But it's good for both of us to see you people it's like you're reading film or I was trying to read an article on Dumbarton Oaks but my my dear wife Margaret decided otherwise nonsense I was just saying that I thought it was silly to bother his head about it it will all be settled for us anyway oh wait a minute Margaret something for us anyway may not be what we want I for one want to be darn sure of what comes out of San Francisco something that's going to work yes I do too George I think it's our business to know Oh I think it's more than a business Janet it's all responsibility I feel that very strongly. I must admit though I don't think I understand the whole thing very well or there are certain very technical aspects that probably the average man can understand not being a specialist but the basic facts I don't think are too hard What about that article Phil is that clear I think it is Duncan the basic fact as you say you don't seem to me to be too hard to understand well if you all think it's so important for people like us to know about it I wish you'd tell me what's what for instance if the nations made it Dumbarton Oaks and drew up plans for world organization to keep peace well why the world are they meeting all over again in San Francisco especially with travel the way it is these days Margaret you know how close the Dumbarton explained was a blueprint and nations that were Dumbarton Oaks took a copy of the blueprint back to study by their governments. Now that they've had time since last October to study these blueprints they're meeting again like San Francisco to draw up a final draft incorporating such recommendations of changes as may be agreed Do you think those of you who have read the Dumbarton Oaks plan that it's a good one I do for a start any plan is going to have. That's one of the first things our forefathers realised when they drew up the Constitution the machinery had to provide it was possible to ferment that was true then and it's true now only on a worldwide scale well just rot in simple language is the Dumbarton Oaks blueprint well as I understand it it's something like this First there's a general assembly composed of representatives of the member nations membership and this is open to all peace loving nations large and small and then there's a smaller body of only eleven members called the Security Council the five most powerful nations are permanent members of this council and the other six are rotating members from the less powerful nations elected by a two thirds vote of the General Assembly for a two year term the General Assembly also has at its command a committee of specialists and this is called the Economic and Social Council and gives expert advice on such matters as labor food and agriculture finance is reconstruction and well developed I really do begin to understand you know it's a little the way we organize our club it's not in the least like your club Margaret market only means the different committees I do think it sounds sensible was that all there is to it not tightly Janet there was only about half way through what was it you were telling me about the legal side George I thought that was pretty interesting it is the Dumbarton Oaks proposals provide for an international court of justice for any dispute that can be settled by rules of law. The Security Council may seek its advice on the legal questions involved in international disputes these proposals seem to cover pretty nearly every angle I'd say yes I think so there's one more thing no it just proves can't be settled in the General Assembly and I referred to the Security Council and if they can't be settled there and the danger of an outbreak seems imminent Well I don't block notes proposals include an arm of enforcement the Hi I'm military staff committee this committee with the Council can take necessary protective or militant action such as the lighting of the armies and navies Well as you explain it to me now it all seems very sensible but I still don't see why the nations don't just go ahead with the plan instead of travelling all over creation to talk a lot more in San Francisco it's not that easy migrate Dumbarton Oaks is just a blueprint there are kinds of questions that need to be answered before the final plan is accepted the question of representation question of countries who governments are still in flux like Poland for instance and the questions about it but something else we've got to think of each country is going to have to say whether or not it believes in the World Organization for peace to start with and whether it believes in this proposed machinery for such an organization and back means us what do you mean George aren't we offer anything that are making keep peace in the world I am not so sure Janet I see what George means there is still a lot of people here who feel and feel quite honestly that we should not mix ourselves in world affairs supporting our government Congress and our leaders all felt that way why they could vote us out of any world organization and any world organization without the United States could not be success why that would be terrible to look you should do something about it can't you telephone someone you know a lot OK I think OK Seriously though we should all do something George and I feel so strongly about it we've got bills to last letter yesterday he felt that way what was it he said George he said no matter what happens to me that. You've got to see that we back up and the big plan for world peace this simply must not happen again to me twenty one to the kids that come after us it's the biggest thing you can do. It's true I wish I felt that we just the six of us here could really and truly do something that would count and that would help make these plans come true but we can't Janet first of all we should read everything we can about it and we should listen to all the talks by experts that we can and secondly we should let our congressmen know how we stand and third if we have friends who still don't understand the problem we should explain it to them and I just them to read and listen to everything on the subject to you all right Philip if we do these things we will have done a lot I'm glad you came over here tonight it helped me to talk about it and I really feel now there is something I can do about you and it's course I feel the way you do George somehow if we can help in this great big thing perhaps the things Bill died for well will not have been in vain what all our boys are fighting and dying for and that we care so much for too I didn't realize how much we can do to help. How well we've got to get going now thank you all for real help to both of us yes we do have to go back you know a lot of help and I suggest we make this a weekly meeting and discuss everything we read here and I think you will help me it was really help me I always have to have someone tell me what things are about Margaret Margaret what am I going to do with. Philip real picture after a few weeks well not all that night everybody. Mr castles I wish there could be more discussions like this one all over the country so no I missed a child I wish for two reasons one because I think many of us are genuinely confused and do because I think that as we draw nearer to the tree we think of peace is something that is just automatically going to happen not as something that needs thinking and planning and cooperation and courage to mankind Yes I agree I agree when washed up that will be easy for us in our joy and thanksgiving the forgotten war and all the suffering and heartache that it means many years ago after another war Mr child Mr Blodgett keping felt the same way he felt so strongly about it but he wrote a very moving poem on this subject it would be well if we were to remember the last lines of this poem today Lord God of hosts be with us yet lest we forget lest we forget lest we forget this to let us consecrate ourselves to establishing the machinery for peace peace for the world and for the future of the wills children you've just heard Mr John W. castles Jr in the CD we all consume a program news and letters from home and abroad we have a lot of information available on the subject we'll be glad to send it to any of our radio audience or answer any inquiries you may have see the video has a list of services and need a volunteer service in which you can do your part on the home front anyone wishing a copy of this list can write to this day from W N Y C Municipal Building New York seven for care of national letters from home and abroad program those participating in today's program are downplaying Wilson Alice Lloyd Emily Newman Raymond Clara Bill Porter Ted field production were directed by Sarah let's get to the best Same Time Next Friday for more letters and more new. 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