SIT7fING DOWN IN MOSCOW
SIR,—The World Congress for General Disarmament and Peace, about which Mr. Cadogan writes in your issue of June 8, has attracted support from all over the world, as no other international gathering of its kind has previously been able to muster. This support includes both organisations and individuals in Britain who have come to the view that peace will not be secured unless people put such pressure on their governments that they are forced to change their policies. The criticisms made by Mr. Cadogan have been repeated ever since 1949 when the first popular campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons was started by the World Council of Peace, and in Britain, by the British Peace Committee. We are grateful that Mr. Cadogan is supporting the Congress even if he can see nothing right in the motives of the organisers —or nothing wrong in his own rather intolerant position. All organisations which are concerned with the problem of disarmament in this country have been invited to take part; no conditions were laid down. The Committee of 100 chose to lay down three
conditions to safeguard, as they saw it, their own freedom of expression at the Congress. The Organising Committee for the Congress was very pleased at the Committee of 100's decision, and the conditions were accepted. Now we must let the Congress, which is what those taking part make it, do what it can to generate a real desire for disarma- ment and peaceful co-existence, and to show the statesmen of the world that agreement between peoples can be achieved.
C. B. SWEET
On behalf of Congress Preparatory Committee do British Peace Committee, 94 Charlotte Street, WI
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