IronCurtainSpeech.docx

IronCurtainSpeech.docx

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IronCurtainSpeech

IronCurtainSpeech

byWinstonChurchill,1946

本文名句：

"FromStettinintheBaltictoTriesteintheAdriaticanironcurtainhasdescendedacrosstheContinent."

PresidentMcCluer,ladiesandgentlemen,andlast,butcertainlynotleast,thePresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica:

IamverygladindeedtocometoWestminsterCollegethisafternoon,andIamcomplimentedthatyoushouldgivemeadegreefromaninstitutionwhosereputationhasbeensosolidlyestablished.Thename"Westminster"somehoworotherseemsfamiliartome.IfeelasifIhaveheardofitbefore.IndeednowthatIcometothinkofit,itwasatWestminsterthatIreceivedaverylargepartofmyeducationinpolitics,dialectic,rhetoric,andoneortwootherthings.Infactwehavebothbeeneducatedatthesame,orsimilar,or,atanyrate,kindredestablishments.

Itisalsoanhonor,ladiesandgentlemen,perhapsalmostunique,foraprivatevisitortobeintroducedtoanacademicaudiencebythePresidentoftheUnitedStates.Amidhisheavyburdens,duties,andresponsibilities--unsoughtbutnotrecoiledfrom--thePresidenthastraveledathousandmilestodignifyandmagnifyourmeetinghereto-dayandtogivemeanopportunityofaddressingthiskindrednation,aswellasmyowncountrymenacrosstheocean,andperhapssomeothercountriestoo.ThePresidenthastoldyouthatitishiswish,asIamsureitisyours,thatIshouldhavefulllibertytogivemytrueandfaithfulcounselintheseanxiousandbafflingtimes.Ishallcertainlyavailmyselfofthisfreedom,andfeelthemorerighttodosobecauseanyprivateambitionsImayhavecherishedinmyyoungerdayshavebeensatisfiedbeyondmywildestdreams.LetmehowevermakeitclearthatIhavenoofficialmissionorstatusofanykind,andthatIspeakonlyformyself.Thereisnothingherebutwhatyousee.

Icanthereforeallowmymind,withtheexperienceofalifetime,toplayovertheproblemswhichbesetusonthemorrowofourabsolutevictoryinarms,andtotrytomakesurewithwhatstrengthIhavethatwhathasgainedwithsomuchsacrificeandsufferingshallbepreservedforthefuturegloryandsafetyofmankind.

Ladiesandgentlemen,theUnitedStatesstandsatthistimeatthepinnacleofworldpower.ItisasolemnmomentfortheAmericanDemocracy.Forwithprimacyinpowerisalsojoinedanawe-inspiringaccountabilitytothefuture.Ifyoulookaroundyou,youmustfeelnotonlythesenseofdutydonebutalsoyoumustfeelanxietylestyoufallbelowthelevelofachievement.Opportunityishereandnow,clearandshiningforbothourcountries.Torejectitorignoreitorfritteritawaywillbringuponusallthelongreproachesoftheafter-time.Itisnecessarythattheconstancyofmind,persistencyofpurpose,andthegrandsimplicityofdecisionshallruleandguidetheconductoftheEnglish-speakingpeoplesinpeaceastheydidinwar.Wemust,andIbelieveweshall,proveourselvesequaltothissevererequirement.

PresidentMcCluer,whenAmericanmilitarymenapproachsomeserioussituationtheyarewonttowriteattheheadoftheirdirectivethewords"over-allstrategicconcept".Thereiswisdominthis,asitleadstoclarityofthought.Whatthenistheover-allstrategicconceptwhichweshouldinscribeto-day?

Itisnothinglessthanthesafetyandwelfare,thefreedomandprogress,ofallthehomesandfamiliesofallthemenandwomeninallthelands.AndhereIspeakparticularlyofthemyriadcottageorapartmenthomeswherethewage-earnerstrivesamidtheaccidentsanddifficultiesoflifetoguardhiswifeandchildrenfromprivationandbringthefamilyupthefearoftheLord,oruponethicalconceptionswhichoftenplaytheirpotentpart.

Togivesecuritytothesecountlesshomes,theymustbeshieldedformtwogauntmarauders,warandtyranny.Wealknowthefrightfuldisturbanceinwhichtheordinaryfamilyisplungedwhenthecurseofwarswoopsdownuponthebread-winnerandthoseforwhomheworksandcontrives.TheawfulruinofEurope,withallitsvanishedglories,andoflargepartsofAsiaglaresusintheeyes.WhenthedesignsofwickedmenortheaggressiveurgeofmightyStatesdissolveoverlargeareastheframeofcivilizedsociety,humblefolkareconfrontedwithdifficultieswithwhichtheycannotcope.Forthemisalldistorted,allisbroken,allisevengroundtopulp.

WhenIstandherethisquietafternoonIshuddertovisualizewhatisactuallyhappeningtomillionsnowandwhatisgoingtohappeninthisperiodwhenfaminestalkstheearth.Nonecancomputewhathasbeencalled"theunestimatedsumofhumanpain".Oursupremetaskanddutyistoguardthehomesofthecommonpeoplefromthehorrorsandmiseriesofanotherwar.Weareallagreedonthat.

OurAmericanmilitarycolleagues,afterhavingproclaimedtheir"over-allstrategicconcept"andcomputedavailableresources,alwaysproceedtothenextstep--namely,themethod.Hereagainthereiswidespreadagreement.Aworldorganizationhasalreadybeenerectedfortheprimepurposeofpreventingwar.UNO,thesuccessoroftheLeagueofNations,withthedecisiveadditionoftheUnitedStatesandallthatthatmeans,isalreadyatwork.Wemustmakesurethatitsworkisfruitful,thatitisarealityandnotasham,thatitisaforceforaction,andnotmerelyafrothingofwords,thatitisatruetempleofpeaceinwhichtheshieldsofmanynationscansomedaybehungup,andnotmerelyacockpitinaTowerofBabel.Beforewecastawaythesolidassurancesofnationalarmamentsforself-preservationwemustbecertainthatourtempleisbuilt,notuponshiftingsandsorquagmires,butuponarock.Anyonecanseewithhiseyesopenthatourpathwillbedifficultandalsolong,butifweperseveretogetheraswedidinthetwoworldwars--thoughnot,alas,intheintervalbetweenthem--Icannotdoubtthatweshallachieveourcommonpurposeintheend.

Ihave,however,adefiniteandpracticalproposaltomakeforaction.Courtsandmagistratesmaybesetupbuttheycannotfunctionwithoutsheriffsandconstables.TheUnitedNationsOrganizationmustimmediatelybegintobeequippedwithaninternationalarmedforce.Insuchamatterwecanonlygostepbystep,butwemustbeginnow.IproposethateachofthePowersandStatesshouldbeinvitedtodedicateacertainnumberofairsquadronstotheserviceoftheworldorganization.Thesesquadronswouldbetrainedandpreparedintheirowncountries,butwouldmovearoundinrotationfromonecountrytoanother.Theywouldweartheuniformsoftheirowncountriesbutwithdifferentbadges.Theywouldnotberequiredtoactagainsttheirownnation,butinotherrespectstheywouldbedirectedbytheworldorganization.Thismightbestartedonamodestscaleanditwouldgrowasconfidencegrew.Iwishedtoseethisdoneafterthefirstworldwar,andIdevoutlytrustthatitmaybedoneforthwith.

Itwouldnevertheless,ladiesandgentlemen,bewrongandimprudenttoentrustthesecretknowledgeorexperienceoftheatomicbomb,whichtheUnitedStates,greatBritain,andCanadanowshare,totheworldorganization,whilestillinitsinfancy.Itwouldbecriminalmadnesstocastitadriftinthisstillagitatedandun-unitedworld.Noonecountryhassleptlesswellintheirbedsbecausethisknowledgeandthemethodandtherawmaterialstoapplyit,arepresentlargelyretainedinAmericanhands.IdonotbelieveweshouldallhavesleptsosoundlyhadthepositionsbeenreversedandsomeCommunistorneo-FascistStatemonopolizedforthetimebeingthesedreadagencies.Thefearofthemalonemighteasilyhavebeenusedtoenforcetotalitariansystemsuponthefreedemocraticworld,withconsequencesappallingtohumanimagination.Godhaswilledthatthisshallnotbeandwehaveatleastabreathingspacetosetourworldhouseinorderbeforethisperilhastobeencountered:

andeventhen,ifnoeffortisspared,weshouldstillpossesssoformidableasuperiorityastoimposeeffectivedeterrentsuponitsemployment,orthreatofemployment,byothers.Ultimately,whentheessentialbrotherhoodofmanistrulyembodiedandexpressedinaworldorganizationwithallthenecessarypracticalsafeguardstomakeiteffective,thesepowerswouldnaturallybeconfidedtothatworldorganizations.

NowIcometothesecondofthetwomarauders,totheseconddangerwhichthreatensthecottagehomes,andtheordinarypeople--namely,tyranny.WecannotbeblindtothefactthatthelibertiesenjoyedbyindividualcitizensthroughouttheUnitedStatesandthroughouttheBritishEmpirearenotvalidinaconsiderablenumberofcountries,someofwhichareverypowerful.IntheseStatescontrolisenforceduponthecommonpeoplebyvariouskindsofall-embracingpolicegovernmentstoadegreewhichisoverwhelmingandcontrarytoeveryprincipleofdemocracy.ThepoweroftheStateisexercisedwithoutrestraint,eitherbydictatorsorbycompactoligarchiesoperatingthroughaprivilegedpartyandapoliticalpolice.Itisnotourdutyatthistimewhendifficultiesaresonumeroustointerfereforciblyintheinternalaffairsofcountrieswhichwehavenotconqueredinwar.butwemustneverceasetoproclaiminfearlesstonesthegreatprinciplesoffreedomandtherightsofmanwhicharethejointinheritanceoftheEnglish-speakingworldandwhichthroughMagnaCarta,theBillofrights,theHabeasCorpus,trialbyjury,andtheEnglishcommonlawfindtheirmostfamousexpressionintheAmericanDeclarationofIndependence.

Allthismeansthatthepeopleofanycountryhavetheright,andshouldhavethepowerbyconstitutionalaction,byfreeunfetteredelections,withsecretballot,tochooseorchangethecharacterorformofgovernmentu