丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版之欧阳总创编Word格式.docx
《丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版之欧阳总创编Word格式.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版之欧阳总创编Word格式.docx(10页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
2021.02.13
创作:
欧阳总
WestminsterCollege,Fulton,
Missouri
IamgladtocometoWestminsterCollegethisafternoon,andamcomplimentedthatyoushouldgivemeadegree.Thename"
Westminster"
issomehowfamiliartome.Iseemtohaveheardofitbefore.Indeed,itwasatWestminsterthatIreceivedaverylargepartofmyeducationinpolitics,dialectic,rhetoric,andoneortwootherthings.Infactwehavebothbeeneducatedatthesame,orsimilar,or,atanyrate,kindredestablishments.
Itisalsoanhonour,perhapsalmostunique,foraprivatevisitortobeintroducedtoanacademicaudiencebythePresidentoftheUnitedStates.Amidhisheavyburdens,duties,andresponsibilities-unsoughtbutnotrecoiledfrom-thePresidenthastravelledathousandmilestodignifyandmagnifyourmeetinghereto-dayandtogivemeanopportunityofaddressingthiskindrednation,aswellasmyowncountrymenacrosstheocean,andperhapssomeothercountriestoo.ThePresidenthastoldyouthatitishiswish,asIamsureitisyours,thatIshouldhavefulllibertytogivemytrueandfaithfulcounselintheseanxiousandbafflingtimes.Ishallcertainlyavailmyselfofthisfreedom,andfeelthemorerighttodosobecauseanyprivateambitionsImayhavecherishedinmyyoungerdayshavebeensatisfiedbeyondmywildestdreams.Letme,however,makeitclearthatIhavenoofficialmissionorstatusofanykind,andthatIspeakonlyformyself.Thereisnothingherebutwhatyousee.
Icanthereforeallowmymind,withtheexperienceofalifetime,toplayovertheproblemswhichbesetusonthemorrowofourabsolutevictoryinarms,andtotrytomakesurewithwhatstrengthIhavethatwhathasbeengainedwithsomuchsacrificeandsufferingshallbepreservedforthefuturegloryandsafetyofmankind.
TheUnitedStatesstandsatthistimeatthepinnacleofworldpower.ItisasolemnmomentfortheAmericanDemocracy.Forwithprimacyinpowerisalsojoinedanawe-inspiringaccountabilitytothefuture.Ifyoulookaroundyou,youmustfeelnotonlythesenseofdutydonebutalsoyoumustfeelanxietylestyoufallbelowthelevelofachievement.Opportunityisherenow,clearandshiningforbothourcountries.Torejectitorignoreitorfritteritawaywillbringuponusallthelongreproachesoftheafter-time.Itisnecessarythatconstancyofmind,persistencyofpurpose,andthegrandsimplicityofdecisionshallguideandruletheconductoftheEnglish-speakingpeoplesinpeaceastheydidinwar.Wemust,andIbelieveweshall,proveourselvesequaltothissevererequirement.WhenAmericanmilitarymenapproachsomeserioussituationtheyarewonttowriteattheheadoftheirdirectivethewords"
over-allstrategicconcept."
Thereiswisdominthis,asitleadstoclarityofthought.Whatthenistheover-allstrategicconceptwhichweshouldinscribetoday?
Itisnothinglessthanthesafetyandwelfare,thefreedomandprogress,ofallthehomesandfamiliesofallthemenandwomeninallthelands.AndhereIspeakparticularlyofthemyriadcottageorapartmenthomeswherethewage-earnerstrivesamidtheaccidentsanddifficultiesoflifetoguardhiswifeandchildrenfromprivationandbringthefamilyupinthefearoftheLord,oruponethicalconceptionswhichoftenplaytheirpotentpart.
Togivesecuritytothesecountlesshomes,theymustbeshieldedfromthetwogiantmarauders,warandtyranny.Weallknowthefrightfuldisturbancesinwhichtheordinaryfamilyisplungedwhenthecurseofwarswoopsdownuponthebread-winnerandthoseforwhomheworksandcontrives.TheawfulruinofEurope,withallitsvanishedglories,andoflargepartsofAsiaglaresusintheeyes.WhenthedesignsofwickedmenortheaggressiveurgeofmightyStatesdissolveoverlargeareastheframeofcivilisedsociety,humblefolkareconfrontedwithdifficultieswithwhichtheycannotcope.Forthemallisdistorted,allisbroken,evengroundtopulp.WhenIstandherethisquietafternoonIshuddertovisualisewhatisactuallyhappeningtomillionsnowandwhatisgoingtohappeninthisperiodwhenfaminestalkstheearth.Nonecancomputewhathasbeencalled"
theunestimatedsumofhumanpain."
Oursupremetaskanddutyistoguardthehomesofthecommonpeoplefromthehorrorsandmiseriesofanotherwar.Weareallagreedonthat.
OurAmericanmilitarycolleagues,afterhavingproclaimedtheir"
over-allstrategicconcept"
andcomputedavailableresources,alwaysproceedtothenextstep-namely,themethod.Hereagainthereiswidespreadagreement.Aworldorganisationhasalreadybeenerectedfortheprimepurposeofpreventingwar,UNO,thesuccessoroftheLeagueofNations,withthedecisiveadditionoftheUnitedStatesandallthatthatmeans,isalreadyatwork.Wemustmakesurethatitsworkisfruitful,thatitisarealityandnotasham,thatitisaforceforaction,andnotmerelyafrothingofwords,thatitisatruetempleofpeaceinwhichtheshieldsofmanynationscansomedaybehungup,andnotmerelyacockpitinaTowerofBabel.Beforewecastawaythesolidassurancesofnationalarmamentsforself-preservationwemustbecertainthatourtempleisbuilt,notuponshiftingsandsorquagmires,butupontherock.Anyonecanseewithhiseyesopenthatourpathwillbedifficultandalsolong,butifweperseveretogetheraswedidinthetwoworldwars-thoughnot,alas,intheintervalbetweenthem-Icannotdoubtthatweshallachieveourcommonpurposeintheend.
Ihave,however,adefiniteandpracticalproposaltomakeforaction.Courtsandmagistratesmaybesetupbuttheycannotfunctionwithoutsheriffsandconstables.TheUnitedNationsOrganisationmustimmediatelybegintobeequippedwithaninternationalarmedforce.Insuchamatterwecanonlygostepbystep,butwemustbeginnow.IproposethateachofthePowersandStatesshouldbeinvitedtodelegateacertainnumberofairsquadronstotheserviceoftheworldorganisation.Thesesquadronswouldbetrainedandpreparedintheirowncountries,butwouldmovearoundinrotationfromonecountrytoanother.Theywouldweartheuniformoftheirowncountriesbutwithdifferentbadges.Theywouldnotberequiredtoactagainsttheirownnation,butinotherrespectstheywouldbedirectedbytheworldorganisation.Thismightbestartedonamodestscaleandwouldgrowasconfidencegrew.Iwishedtoseethisdoneafterthefirstworldwar,andIdevoutlytrustitmaybedoneforthwith.
Itwouldneverthelessbewrongandimprudenttoentrustthesecretknowledgeorexperienceoftheatomicbomb,whichtheUnitedStates,GreatBritain,andCanadanowshare,totheworldorganisation,whileitisstillinitsinfancy.Itwouldbecriminalmadnesstocastitadriftinthisstillagitatedandun-unitedworld.Nooneinanycountryhassleptlesswellintheirbedsbecausethisknowledgeandthemethodandtherawmaterialstoapplyit,areatpresentlargelyretainedinAmericanhands.IdonotbelieveweshouldallhavesleptsosoundlyhadthepositionsbeenreversedandifsomeCommunistorneo-FascistStatemonopolisedforthetimebeingthesedreadagencies.Thefearofthemalonemighteasilyhavebeenusedtoenforcetotalitariansystemsuponthefreedemocraticworld,withconsequencesappallingtohumanimagination.Godhaswilledthatthisshallnotbeandwehaveatleastabreathingspacetosetourhouseinorderbeforethisperilhastobeencountered:
andeventhen,ifnoeffortisspared,weshouldstillpossesssoformidableasuperiorityastoimposeeffectivedeterrentsuponitsemployment,orthreatofemployment,byothers.Ultimately,whentheessentialbrotherhoodofmanistrulyembodiedandexpressedinaworldorganisationwithallthenecessarypracticalsafeguardstomakeiteffective,thesepowerswouldnaturallybeconfidedtothatworldorganisation.
NowIcometotheseconddangerofthesetwomarauderswhichthreatensthecottage,thehome,andtheordinarypeople-namely,tyranny.WecannotbeblindtothefactthatthelibertiesenjoyedbyindividualcitizensthroughouttheBritishEmpirearenotvalidinaconsiderablenumberofcountries,someofwhichareverypowerful.IntheseStatescontrolisenforceduponthecommonpeoplebyvariouskindsofall-embracingpolicegovernments.ThepoweroftheStateisexercisedwithoutrestraint,eitherbydictatorsorbycompactoligarchiesoperatingthroughaprivilegedpartyandapoliticalpolice.Itisnotourdutyatthistimewhendifficultiesaresonumeroustointerfereforciblyintheinternalaffairsofcountrieswhichwehavenotconqueredinwar.ButwemustneverceasetoproclaiminfearlesstonesthegreatprinciplesoffreedomandtherightsofmanwhicharethejointinheritanceoftheEnglish-speakingworldandwhichthroughMagnaCarta,theBillofRights,theHabeasCorpus,trialbyjury,andtheEnglishcommonlawfindtheirmostfamousexpressionintheAmericanDeclarationofIndependence.
Allthismeansthatthepeopleofanycountryhavetheright,andshouldhavethepowerbyconstitutionalaction,byfreeunfetteredelections,withsecretballot,tochooseorchangethecharacterorformofgovernmentunderwhichtheydwell;
thatfreedomofspeechandthoughtshouldreign;
thatcourtsofjustice,independentoftheexecutive,unbiasedbyanyparty,shouldadministerlawswhichhavereceivedthebroadassentoflargemajoritiesorareconsecratedbytimeandcustom.Herearethetitledeedsoffreedomwhichshouldlieineverycottagehome.Hereisthemessageofthe