It is difficult during such turmoil to proclaim oneself, as I do, to be a pious apostle of peace, without being described as a "crank," a "traitor," or even, as I have been, a "Fascist spy." Well, if this war is the result of the 20 th century wisdom, I am proud of the title "crank." I do know, however, that it is traditional of the British administration, and in her colonies, to allow certain liberty of speech and tolerance of difference of opinion, and that we, the anti-war section of the Socialists in England and South Africa in 1914-18, escaped with a few minor imprisonments, while Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were murdered in Germany for the same reason, and their assassins were condoned by the administration, and that there have been many assassinations of political offenders in that country since. Therefore, there are still those differences of opinion, and ours are the more human and tolerant concerning our political liberties and the sacredness of life.

However, that is not the reason why we are at war with Germany, any more than the reasons given now about the brutalities by them as the result of the war was the cause of it. It was because, as H. G. Wells said, "Chamberlain stupidly declared war on Germany in defence of Poland," which also Lloyd George said was a "mad hair-brained scheme we could not carry out without the aid of Russia." And those two men were the greatest authorities on world affairs. Rather than soliciting the aid of Russia, Britain did all she could to frustrate her efforts for peace. After the German invasion of Czechoslovakia the Soviet Government suggested a "Conference at Bucharest of Britain, France, U.S.S.R., Poland, Rumania and Turkey." That proposal, had it been accepted, might have prevented the war. It was turned down by the British Government as "premature."

Chamberlain's bitterness against the Soviet Government frustrated all efforts of a pact, while Lord Londonderry, his Cabinet Minister "I was at a loss to understand why we could not make com­mon ground in some form or other with Germany in opposition to Communism." I quote this from Socialist Sixth of the World, by the Dean of Canterbury, page 379.

There are many other ways that war could have been prevented, Big Business and Big Finance of the Allied countries aided war against Germany with supplies. And the Bank of England loaned £50,000,000 to the Hitler administration as late as 1939. With reference to the latter, Mr. Montague Norman, then the head of the British Banks, said: "We may never get it back, but it's better than the fall of Nazism." This statement has been quoted in many newspapers, and by members of Parliament, and has never been denied.

I am not discriminating or taking sides in the conflict. It is inconceivable to me why twentieth century civilisation tolerates war- to call up, and even compel, innocent people to club each other with the butts of their rifles, and stab each other with bayonets, in addi­tion to dropping bombs on their wives and children, as both sides have done during this and other wars. To employ such tactics, pictures those responsible not as human beings but as having less concern for life than a ferocious beast. That is a strong indictment, but I have never minced matters in language of condemnation. This war-as all wars-has created and extended the vices and racial ani­mosities, and has incited, according to reports, the murder of thousands on racial grounds. It has-as all wars-multiplied the evils they claim to be fighting to suppress. The Allies tell us in this war, as they did in the last war, what they are going to do with 80 million Germans. Were it not for the aid of Russia, the Germans might now have been discussing what they would do with us.

Whatever war strategy may do by the law of conquest, it cannot suppress the political morale of the people. Each country will-as they have always done-frame their own ideologies following war on stronger national grounds. This time we hope they will dispense with those agencies of Big Business and financial corruptions that have battened on the suffering masses, as industrial exploiters and the inciters of war for generations agone. Failing that hope in the light of recent events, we are doomed to extermination. Let me repeat, I am a Pacifist, and I consider the foregoing are the undeniable causes and the results of war.