IS THERE NO WAY OUT?
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Sin,—Newspapers as innocent of extreme pacifist views as The Times and Daily Telegraph have recently been giving it as their opinion that the German people do not want war. They are right. Neither does our nation. Furthermore. they declare that war would be a major catastrophe.' Here again they are right.
Yet everywhere we hear it being sorrowfully admitted that there may have to be a war—between two nations who do not want war and view with dread the prospect of being involved in a major catastrophe. The reason, of course, is that one statesman (whom we are most unlikely to kill if there be a war) may pursue a policy of which we cannot approve.
Will civilised'man never be able to handle this all too familiar Situation with the rudiments of intelligence and originality ? Is war between two peoples who do not desire, it really the only course of action ? Whatever the statesman in question may think or do, is there no hope that the people primarily concerned, whose lives are at stake, may find some means of establishing contact and, through contact, a peacefill solution ?
We are told that this would be " difficult " ; that there is a Press censorship in Germany, and that even a wireless message might not be heard.
It would be "difficult 1 " good Heavens Would not the next war be as "difficult " as anything that it is possible to imagine ? Would not the obstacles to be overcome be infinitely greater than those which may seem to block the path to rational contact and friendly discussion ? Must our conservatism be so hide-bound that, even though we perish, we must never break away from the old diplomatic channels for, settling all international problems ; never in time of crisis try new ways when the old have brought disaster again and yet again ?-
Yours truly, - TAVISTOC.K. Barrington House, Haywards Heath, Sussex.
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