丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版10页.docx

丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版10页.docx

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丘吉尔铁幕演说英文版10页

丘吉尔铁幕演说（英文版）（10页）

TheSinewsofPeace（丘吉尔的铁幕演说1946.3.5）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.HereisthemessageoftheBritishandAmericanpeoplestomankind.Letuspreachwhatwepractise-letuspractisewhatwepreach.?

Ihavenowstatedthetwogreatdangerswhichmenaceth