Happy April Fourth!

[ESLaPorte]

Happy April Fourth one and all!

On April 4th, 1949, shortly after 3 o'clock, with some 1500 diplomats,
cabinet people, members of Congress looking on, the 12 men who were to sign
the North Atlantic Pact came forward. Some excerpts from their speeches are
below. Below are excerpts from speeches of the twelve signers of the North
Atlantic Pact:

British Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin:
"Countries whose representatives are signing this great pact today are
composed of peace loving people with spiritual affinities, but who also have
great pride in their skill and their production and in their achievements in
mastering the forces of nature and harnessing the great resources of the
world for the benefit of mankind.
Our peoples do not glorify war, but they will not shrink from it if
aggression is threatened."

US Secretary of State, Dean Acheson:
"This Treaty is a simple document. The Nations which sign it agree to abide
by the peaceful principals of the United Nations, to maintain friendly
relations and economic cooperation with one another. . .we have no purpose
of aggression against others. To suggest the contrary is to slander our
institutions and defame our ides and aspirations.
The nations represented here are bound together by ties of long standing. We
are join together by a common heritage of democracy, individual liberty -
and the rule of law. This pact we give them formal recognition."

Paul- Henri Spaak, the Belgian Prime Minister :
"The North Atlantic Pact is an act of faith in the destiny of western
civilization. Based on exercise of civil and political liberties, on respect
for the human person, it cannot perish.
The North Atlantic Pact places in the service of this civilization the most
powerful means of defense that has ever been created.
The people represented here detest war, and their governments share their
sentiments.
Democracies are essentially pacific. Where people have something to say,
where thought is not in chains and opposition is not muzzled. . .If the
whole world accepted and practiced democratic principals which are ours
there would be no more war."

Canada's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lester Pearson :
"We in the North Atlantic community. . .must jealously guard the defensive
in a progressive nature of our league. There can be no place for power
politics and imperialist ambitions on the part of any of its members. This
is more than a treaty for defense.
We are a North Atlantic community of 12 nations and 350 million people. We
are strong in our lands and resources, in our industry and manpower. We are
strong above all in our tradition of liberty, in our common belief of the
dignity of the individual, in our common heritage of social and political
thought and in our resolve to defend our freedom together."

Gustav Rasmussen, Foreign Minister of Denmark:
"When today, I sign the North Atlantic Treaty, I do so as it is an
instrument of peace. . .a solemn reaffirmation of the pledges by those
countries under the United Nations Charter."

France's Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman:
"The exclusive concern of France is to make impossible any invasion of her
own territory or of the territory of peace-loving nations. Our aim is to
cannot be restricted to to the winning of a war. . .a war which would leave
Europe ravaged and depopulated. We want to avoid such a war by coming
together, strong enough together to safeguard peace.
Who, in justice, could reproach us for such an attempt? What sincere friend
could take offense in it?"

Count Carlo Sforza, the Foreign Minister for Italy:
"Signing a pact is not enough. Life shall have to be circulated through it,
as a result of a constant free collaboration in the service of peace between
all its members, present and future.
Not only would we fail the spirit of the pact, we would belittle is force
and consider it only as a protective umbrella. We must pray to God that this
pact will prove like the English Magna Charta on one side intangible, one
the other side a continuous creation."

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Joseph Bech:
"Grouped around the most powerful democracies in the world, the states
signatory to the Atlantic Pact constitute at once the most formable and the
most sincerely peaceful coalition of material and moral forces that have
ever been set by nations to insure their security and spare the world the
horrors of war."

Dirk U. Strikker, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands:
"Its opponents are clamoring that this treaty aims at war . That is a lie.
It aim is peace. . .but peace now and from now on.
We who are vitally interested in security of the North Atlantic area,
henceforth stand united in our resolve to repel aggression, just as we stand
united in our resolve to not attack others.
Such then, is the treaty's unshakable moral basis. We shall with a clear
conscience in the face of God.
We rejoice at the thought that North Americans and Western Europeans have
found each other in a common edifice dedicated to peace."

Halvard M. Lange, Foreign Minister of Norway:
"I am about to sign, on behalf of the Norwegian government, the North
Atlantic Pact. I strongly feel that it is a logical sequence to a line which
we have followed since the liberation of our country in May 1945. The five
years of Nazi occupation had given our people a deeper conception of
freedom, law and democracy.
And so we were determined that never again must Norway risk the loss of her
freedom and all that goes with it."

Jose Caelro da' Matts, Portugal's Foreign Minister:
"May the thought which has made these nations living examples of true social
progress, in work, in freedom, and in peace, keep in tact the ties which are
being formed today and ensure that this pact may bear fruit which we expect
of it."

Iceland Foreign Minister, Bjarnl Bendiktsson: "My people are unarmed and
have been since the days of our Viking forefathers. We neither have nor can
have and army. My country has never waged war on any country. In truth we
are quite unable to defend ourselves from any foreign armed attack."

---

At about 4:25, President Truman came into the auditorium, led by Secret
Service men to the tune of "Hail to the Chief."
After Truman spoke, Mr. Acheson indicated that it was time to sign the
Treaty. As each man came forward to sign the Treaty, starting with Mr.
Spaak, the State Department's Treaty Officer, Mr. John Foley, handed each of
the men a pen and indicated the place to sign. In two instances, the men
signed with their own pens, but were given their souvenir pen. This mix-up
amused the onlookers and brought a chuckle to a "solemn ceremony."
Account of the signing ceremony and speeches was from the pages of the 5
April 1949, Washington Post, obtained from microfiche (1)
The entire text of Lester Pearson's speech can be found in his 1970 book
Words and Occasions U. of Toronto Press: Toronto, CA. (p. 88-89).

From: DATELINE April 1949: The Signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.
http://www.pronato.com/NATreaty/NATceremony.htm
Page with details of the events and people surrounding the 4 April 1949
signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. The people who typed up the Treaty,
the lighting and ceremonial people are just "folks" like you and me.

Happy April Fourth!

Erin LaPorte
The NATO Citizen - www.pronato.com
"Long live the entangling Alliance!"
"Long live NATO!"

[aburch]

Does anyone in the Slavic newsgroups care or even know what you're referring
to?

With all sincerity and no intention to insult you - but NATO's mission is
way way way over - I'd say since about 1989-1990 after the fall of the
Berlin Wall.

I took a peak at your web-site with an open mind but almost all military
action these days require United Nations involvement and those silly
"resolutions". The latest Eastern European countries to join NATO have been
burned over and over again by Bush Jr.

Better for Europe that they invest their energies in building a stronger EU.
That's the natural conclusion - a united Europe including European Russia.
Germany has licked its wounds and has recovered from its post W.W.II guilt
trip - the post W.W.II generation has no reason to feel responsible (just as
the post W.W.II Japanese). Germany is obviously the stronger of the EU
members - well, someone's got to get the rest of the participating countries
together. France and Spain and Italy are pretty much along for the ride -
and Britain has always has always resisted being associated with the
"common" mainland - too beneath the Great Kingdom.

The natural order geopolitically is a united North America - too bad we
treat our immediate neighbors (Canada, Mexico) like crap - so much for
NAFTA, - a united South America, a united Pacific Rim Asia (China, Japan,
Korea), - a united South-East Asia, - a united Middle East, - a united
Central Asia, etc.

My point is NATO served a purpose no longer necessary, now NATO risks
carving up the world and creating un-natural cultural associations, much the
terrible way the French and Brits did with Africa, the Mediterranean, and
the Middle East.

Eastern Europe jumped on the already dead skeleton of NATO only to be badly
burned with no substantial gain. NATO - big deal - joining the EU - now
that's something alive, true economic cooperation and support, and pretty
much DE-FACTO at this point.

Now if only the U.S. major news networks would take interest in European
events [that don't always have to involve the U.S.] and give those events
U.S. broadcast time - then maybe I'd buy into hooray for NATO. I instead
have to resort to international satellite broadcasts to find out what's
really going in Europe (and the rest of the world).

I see all the Slavic newsgroups you post to - you should sign up for the
center for Slavic studies newsletter from UC Berkeley - it's good reading as
well as a good bunch of people.

With all that said - You do have a very nicely designed web-site :-)

***@pacbell.net
(first generation American born - Polish parents)

Post by ESLaPorte
Happy April Fourth one and all!
On April 4th, 1949, shortly after 3 o'clock, with some 1500 diplomats,
cabinet people, members of Congress looking on, the 12 men who were to sign
the North Atlantic Pact came forward. Some excerpts from their speeches are
below. Below are excerpts from speeches of the twelve signers of the North
"Countries whose representatives are signing this great pact today are
composed of peace loving people with spiritual affinities, but who also have
great pride in their skill and their production and in their achievements in
mastering the forces of nature and harnessing the great resources of the
world for the benefit of mankind.
Our peoples do not glorify war, but they will not shrink from it if
aggression is threatened."
"This Treaty is a simple document. The Nations which sign it agree to abide
by the peaceful principals of the United Nations, to maintain friendly
relations and economic cooperation with one another. . .we have no purpose
of aggression against others. To suggest the contrary is to slander our
institutions and defame our ides and aspirations.
The nations represented here are bound together by ties of long standing. We
are join together by a common heritage of democracy, individual liberty -
and the rule of law. This pact we give them formal recognition."
"The North Atlantic Pact is an act of faith in the destiny of western
civilization. Based on exercise of civil and political liberties, on respect
for the human person, it cannot perish.
The North Atlantic Pact places in the service of this civilization the most
powerful means of defense that has ever been created.
The people represented here detest war, and their governments share their
sentiments.
Democracies are essentially pacific. Where people have something to say,
where thought is not in chains and opposition is not muzzled. . .If the
whole world accepted and practiced democratic principals which are ours
there would be no more war."
"We in the North Atlantic community. . .must jealously guard the defensive
in a progressive nature of our league. There can be no place for power
politics and imperialist ambitions on the part of any of its members. This
is more than a treaty for defense.
We are a North Atlantic community of 12 nations and 350 million people. We
are strong in our lands and resources, in our industry and manpower. We are
strong above all in our tradition of liberty, in our common belief of the
dignity of the individual, in our common heritage of social and political
thought and in our resolve to defend our freedom together."
"When today, I sign the North Atlantic Treaty, I do so as it is an
instrument of peace. . .a solemn reaffirmation of the pledges by those
countries under the United Nations Charter."
"The exclusive concern of France is to make impossible any invasion of her
own territory or of the territory of peace-loving nations. Our aim is to
cannot be restricted to to the winning of a war. . .a war which would leave
Europe ravaged and depopulated. We want to avoid such a war by coming
together, strong enough together to safeguard peace.
Who, in justice, could reproach us for such an attempt? What sincere friend
could take offense in it?"
"Signing a pact is not enough. Life shall have to be circulated through it,
as a result of a constant free collaboration in the service of peace between
all its members, present and future.
Not only would we fail the spirit of the pact, we would belittle is force
and consider it only as a protective umbrella. We must pray to God that this
pact will prove like the English Magna Charta on one side intangible, one
the other side a continuous creation."
"Grouped around the most powerful democracies in the world, the states
signatory to the Atlantic Pact constitute at once the most formable and the
most sincerely peaceful coalition of material and moral forces that have
ever been set by nations to insure their security and spare the world the
horrors of war."
"Its opponents are clamoring that this treaty aims at war . That is a lie.
It aim is peace. . .but peace now and from now on.
We who are vitally interested in security of the North Atlantic area,
henceforth stand united in our resolve to repel aggression, just as we stand
united in our resolve to not attack others.
Such then, is the treaty's unshakable moral basis. We shall with a clear
conscience in the face of God.
We rejoice at the thought that North Americans and Western Europeans have
found each other in a common edifice dedicated to peace."
"I am about to sign, on behalf of the Norwegian government, the North
Atlantic Pact. I strongly feel that it is a logical sequence to a line which
we have followed since the liberation of our country in May 1945. The five
years of Nazi occupation had given our people a deeper conception of
freedom, law and democracy.
And so we were determined that never again must Norway risk the loss of her
freedom and all that goes with it."
"May the thought which has made these nations living examples of true social
progress, in work, in freedom, and in peace, keep in tact the ties which are
being formed today and ensure that this pact may bear fruit which we expect
of it."
Iceland Foreign Minister, Bjarnl Bendiktsson: "My people are unarmed and
have been since the days of our Viking forefathers. We neither have nor can
have and army. My country has never waged war on any country. In truth we
are quite unable to defend ourselves from any foreign armed attack."
---
At about 4:25, President Truman came into the auditorium, led by Secret
Service men to the tune of "Hail to the Chief."
After Truman spoke, Mr. Acheson indicated that it was time to sign the
Treaty. As each man came forward to sign the Treaty, starting with Mr.
Spaak, the State Department's Treaty Officer, Mr. John Foley, handed each of
the men a pen and indicated the place to sign. In two instances, the men
signed with their own pens, but were given their souvenir pen. This mix-up
amused the onlookers and brought a chuckle to a "solemn ceremony."
Account of the signing ceremony and speeches was from the pages of the 5
April 1949, Washington Post, obtained from microfiche (1)
The entire text of Lester Pearson's speech can be found in his 1970 book
Words and Occasions U. of Toronto Press: Toronto, CA. (p. 88-89).
From: DATELINE April 1949: The Signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.
http://www.pronato.com/NATreaty/NATceremony.htm
Page with details of the events and people surrounding the 4 April 1949
signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. The people who typed up the Treaty,
the lighting and ceremonial people are just "folks" like you and me.
Happy April Fourth!
Erin LaPorte
The NATO Citizen - www.pronato.com
"Long live the entangling Alliance!"
"Long live NATO!"