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- 17 -
and
First of all, there uns the failure to Demember the essentially and ines-
capably defensive nature of this particular war, as one in which we in
the Mest wore Anitially the woaker party, capable of achieving only a
portion of our purposes and of achieving that portion only in collaboration
with a totalitarian adversary and at a price. Tris failuro atemmed from
our general ignorance of the historical processes of our age, and parti
cularly from our lack of attention to the power realities involved in
given situations.
ut beyond that, it seams to me, there lay a deeper failure of
understanding - a failurs to appreciate the limitations of war in general
of any war as a vehicle for the achievement of the objectives of the
democratic state. This is the question of the proper relationship of
such things as force and coercion to the purposes of democracy. That they
have a place in the international as well as the domestic functioning of
democracy I would be the last to deny. That will continue to be true until
the world ie an entirely different world than what we have known it to be
throughout our national history. But I would submit that we will
continue to harm our own interests almost as nuch as we benefit them
if we continue to employ the instruments of coercion in the international
field without a better national understanding of their significance and
possibilities. It is essential to recognize that the maimina and killing
of man and the destruction of human shelters and other installations,
however necessary it may be for other reasons, cannot in itself make a
positive contribution to any democratic purpose. It can be the regrettable
alternative to similar destruction in our own country or killing of our
own people. It can conceivably protect valuma which it is necessary to
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"ocrText": "- 17 -\nand\nFirst of all, there uns the failure to Demember the essentially and ines-\ncapably defensive nature of this particular war, as one in which we in\nthe Mest wore Anitially the woaker party, capable of achieving only a\nportion of our purposes and of achieving that portion only in collaboration\nwith a totalitarian adversary and at a price. Tris failuro atemmed from\nour general ignorance of the historical processes of our age, and parti\ncularly from our lack of attention to the power realities involved in\ngiven situations.\nut beyond that, it seams to me, there lay a deeper failure of\nunderstanding - a failurs to appreciate the limitations of war in general\nof any war as a vehicle for the achievement of the objectives of the\ndemocratic state. This is the question of the proper relationship of\nsuch things as force and coercion to the purposes of democracy. That they\nhave a place in the international as well as the domestic functioning of\ndemocracy I would be the last to deny. That will continue to be true until\nthe world ie an entirely different world than what we have known it to be\nthroughout our national history. But I would submit that we will\ncontinue to harm our own interests almost as nuch as we benefit them\nif we continue to employ the instruments of coercion in the international\nfield without a better national understanding of their significance and\npossibilities. It is essential to recognize that the maimina and killing\nof man and the destruction of human shelters and other installations,\nhowever necessary it may be for other reasons, cannot in itself make a\npositive contribution to any democratic purpose. It can be the regrettable\nalternative to similar destruction in our own country or killing of our\nown people. It can conceivably protect valuma which it is necessary to"
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