ffew To ik Tiaag, July
7t 1939
Text of Hoover's
'New ProposaiSoK AJiifct^Ac^Bon,
Special to Trie Nfew York Tqibi.
CLEVELAND, July 6.—Fol~\
towing is the text of the address*
by Herbert Hoover tonight be-
fore^ke international convention
of Christian Endeavor Societies:
I
Last night I spoke on the. Amer-
ican Magazine hour against send-
ing ouv youth to war in foreign
countries again. I stated, how-
ever, that America can be of serv-
ice to peace and humanity. Among
other things I suggested that we
can build up the standards of
decency in the world. We can
take action which will lessen both
the causes and the barbarities of
war. We can do it without involv-
ing ourselves in foreign wars. I
You represent the youth of
many nations. And you are pro- .
foundly interested in peace. You
are profoundly interested in the
growth of humane spirit in this
world. And if war should come
d in all possible
manlty in that
war.
Last night X referred fcs&he suf-
fering of women and children in
the great war. I know. For yean
it was my* sole occupation to care
for the homeless, the foodless, the
frightened and the helpless. I
have witnessed their sufferings in
twenty nations.
war)d iTdo" not* see*th« 'glorious,
parade of troops marching to the
tunes of gay music. I do not think
of great statesmen planning and
worrying in their chancellories.
Nor do I think of those dazzling
chambers where the peacemak
faces., of hungry, desp
terrorized women and v
These are the real vicl
modern war.
"The violence of war
year failing more
ribly upon the-
tions. Starvation
killing from the air have become
weapons of attack in modern war.
At least they have become meth-
ods of reprisals. Put bluntly, that
means wholesale killing of women
and children.
The Food
Death From, the .Air
And in equally dreadful sense I
saw a newer-method of war .de-
velop. The bombing of civilian
populations from the air first ap-
peared as a part of war strategy
during the great war. The bomb-
ing plane was then scarcely de-
veloped. It was a weakling when
the Germans used it against Brit-
ish and French cities. But even
then I have seen with my own
eyes a score of war raids where
terrorized women and children
flocked to cellars uselessly and
frantically to escape a rain of ex-
plosives. lEya
No country then possessed great
numbers of these planes built pur-
posely for bombing. Today each
nation numbers its fleet in thou-
sands. And today each plane will
,carry ten times the death-dealing
"explosives. In terror every Euro-
pean nation is equipping every-
body, even the babies, with gas
Industrial civilizatioi
creased the numbers of people in
many countries far beyond their
domestic food supplies. They must
import food from overseas.
In the last war both sides strug-
gled to bring victory by starva-
tion of the whole enemy people.
The food blockade by the Allied
Governments on one s
ruthless submarine warfare
the Central Powers on the other
had starvation as a purpose. In
the last war both sides professed
that it was not their pt
starve women and chil
But it is only hypocrisj
that the blockade is "
starvation of soldiers,
workers, or governmc
They levy a first
It is only the deluded wi
that these ever starve,
and munition workers were not
short of food in blockaded Ger-
masks. Every country is prepar-
ing to evacuate women and chil-
dren from the cities. One of the
dreads of Europe today is that
these great fleets of planes will
be used to destroy whole cities.
in it is hypocrisy to say that
sole purpose of bombing
es is to destroy soldiers, com-
munications and munition works.
That is not the full intention. The
purpose is terror and weakening
of the morale of the civil popula-
tion. That means the killing of
women, children. The experience
in China and Spain in the last two
years only confirms our worst
fears.
IT
y of Modern War
The ancient chivalry for the
protection of women and children
has departed in the violence of the
times. But why these pressures
and terrors against women and
children?
To break down the morale and
resistance of the civil popul
at home has become a part of ;
methods of war.  There was
time when wars were carried
exclusively by soldiers and sail
The civil populations went a"
their routine daily tasks.
Today war is a battle of whole
peoples. They must be mobilized
to the last atom of their eco-
f>mic and emotional stren
I fit young men and boys
conscripted and thrust into tne
battlefields. The pressure on their
women and children by the enemy
is Supposed to react upon the con-
scripts at the front. It is sup-
posed to weaken their courage
and the resolution of these huge
armies. Or it is presumed to make
the enemy people supplicate its
government lor peace.
...
HoTfleets. It brought British ana .
French food supplies into extreme
jeopardy. Since then the sub-
marine has been greatly Improved
and its numbers vastly increased.
One of the impelling reasons for
unceasing building of bombing
planes is to prepare reprisals for
blockade starving of women and
children or reprisals for air at-
tacks.
This killing of women and chil-
dren haunts every council table
and affects every move of power
politics. It drives not alone to
armaments.-It drives to more and
more military alliances that breed
war.
Unttrthis menace of killing wft-ii'
men and children by food block-
ade and from the air is removed,
there will be little relief from in-
creasing navies and air fleets.
There will be little decrease in
the fear that is driving the world •
to its own destruction.
The standard of living, the com-
fort of all men is today being
steadily lowered by this race of
armaments. It is the backs of the
men and women who toil that
carry this load of war prepared-
ness during peace. It Is nonsense
to say this is paid for by the rich.
The pay comes from the produc-
tivity of the people. It is break-
ing the backs of nations today.
And the United States builds
correspondingly to meet the men-
ace of these swelling navies and
air fleets.
IV
Limitation of War
Met
ly
should
>n and massacre <
llldren as methods of war.
I am well aware that any pro-
test or any proposal to limit these
horrors in future wars will be de-
cried by the militarists as futile.
They will say that the world has
the starva-
women and
in
les may decry
said
in con-
¦ contra-
many in the last war.
All over Europe it w
Europe it was the wo-
men and children--who, weakened
from scanty food supplies, died
not in hundreds of thousands but
in millions. It was the children
who grew up stunted in mind and
body. Who can say that the con-
fusion in Europe today is not
partly the result of the horrible (
lives of the children of those
years?
or only
s this fear for
children is one
of the driving forces of increased
armament by every nation.
One impelling reason for in-
creasing naval fleets given by
every country in Europe and Asia
is not only to blockade the en-
emy's food but to keep open the
lanes of their own food supplies.
Up to the last war the strength
in the starvation battle rested
with the country which possessed
the battleships.
But during the war the German
submarines demonstrated a ca-
pacity to destroy the food sup-
plies destined to England and
France, even against their supe-
of thing and
uthoritles 1
se desperate
as impractici
at war itself is im
suggest moral restr_
ductlng war is a hope
diction.
Even if nations subs
in peace it will be said
be* no dependable enforcement
after war begins. Long reasons
will be adduced to support its un-
enforceability.
It will be said that in modern
war national existence is at
stake. National institutions will
be destroyed by the inevitable
revolutions that follow to the de-
feated country. Long years of
- indemnities and oppression are
the penalty of defeat to the van-
quished.
Therefore, it will be said tha
I despite any agreement to protee
women and children, every n
tion when once engaged in war
will justify every weapon as a
part of its defense, no matter
what their humanitarian agree-
ments may be. I shall comment
upon some teeth that could be put
into enforcement in a moment.
The old fallacy will be produced
that the prospect of war becom-
ing more terrible frightens na-
tions into keeping the peace. But
the fact is nations go to war out
of desperation at these very
threats. The fear.of frightfulness
ness does not make-for peace. It
creates fear, hate and despera-
tion which drive nations to war.
The prospect of killing of women
and children makes war more -
likely.
Another old fallacy will be pro-
duced. That is, the more terrible
war is, the quicker the sickened .
s
nations will make peace. But war
has become more terrible every
year since the Invention of run-
powder. Every half century has
seen more and more men sacri-
ficed on the battlefield. It has
seen more and more women and):
children sacrificed at home. Hu-
man courage rises far above any
terror yet invented.
This same fallacy pretends that
putting the screws on the civil
population gets war over quicker.
Such a policy Is thus said to be
more humane. The last war
proved that starvation and bomb-
Ins; only sharpened hate and
hardened resolution to continue.
Sven supposing all these argu-
ments are true, are we to accept
defeat of International decency?
Are we not to try every method,
explore every channel that might
allay these causes of war and
armament and that might lead to
protection of the lives and minds
of innocent women and children?
Must we accept such a .collapse
of Western civilization? Must we
accept the despair of return to
barbarism?
A Proposal
X am going to risk a proposal
that might end the worst of It.
My proposal is that all nations
who are willing to do so should
enter an agreement.
1. That vessels laden solely with
food supplies should be placed
upon the same basis of immunity
as hospital ships. They should go
- freely. Blockade should not apply
j to! them. There should be no at-
taok -upon their passage by either
warships or submarines.
2. That there shall be no bomb-
ing of civil populations and no
bombing anywhere except In the
field of actual fighting men on
land or sea, and at works devoted
strictly to munitions.
Nations who are not willing: to
enter such obligation will have at
least declared their shameful de-
votion to barbarism. They will be
proved outcasts from civilization.
There Is humanity in the peo-
ples of all combatant nationalities.
Their own public opinion is
shocked by barbarities. That is
evidenced by the fact that all
statesmen in the last war sought
to justify such acts to their peo-
ple as reprisals for the barbarities
of the enemy. And through all
discussion of preparedness today
they find justification In" their
fears of this frlghtfulness against
themselves.
VI
Enforcement
Now for the moral teeth that I
propose for enforcement. That Is
the definite participation of neu-
trals of the world in protection
against these barbarities. As a
part of such agreement the neu-
tral nations should become the
referees announcing' in authorita-
tive way any fouls that take
place.
To effect this, such agreement
i should provide further? -
3. That the shipment of food
supplies in war to any blockaded
nation may be in full cargoes Un-
der the management and jurisdic-
tion of a commission of the neu-
tral nations.
4. That neutral observers should
be continuously In session within -
every belligerent country to deter-
mine; the facts .of any killing of
civilians from the air*
The whole of this enforcement
by neutrals must be based upon
moral forces and not on military
force or entanglement in the con-
troversy. Should any belligerent
be convicted of deliberate viola-
tions, then neutrals should with-
draw. Awful as It may be, no
doubt the hells of reprisals from
the Injured side would then be
turned loose.
The real teeth behind this en-
I forcement Is public opinion among
I neutrals. That Is one of the most
potent forces In modern war.' If
it be pointed up by definite con-
viction beyond all the whitewash-
ing of propaganda It can be far-
reaohlng In Its consequences.
In the strategy of modern war
one of the utmost anxieties of
both sides is to hold the good will
of neutrals. Or at least to prevent
their Indignation forcing them to
aid or to join the enemy. The 111
will of neutrals or their citizens
at once induces informal boycotts
of credit and supplies, even do
they go no further. To influence
neutral public opinion In the last
war every combatant spent mil-
lions In gigantic propaganda.
And they are spending it again to-
day.
Public opinion In neutral na*
tlons does not react much to the
legalistic question of whether cot-
ton is contraband or non-contra-
band. It does not react much to
imperial ambitions of combatants.
It does not react much to spe-
cious circumventions of such In-
struments as the Kellogg Pact.
But it does react to the horror of
killing women and children.
It Is asserted that public opin-
ion of neutrals had no effect In
the last war. Contrary to that,
when the final verdict of history
is given It will be found that the
losers lost not by lack of valor or
courage. They lost not by lack of
efficiency or even from starva-
tion. They lost by failure to heed
the public opinion of what were
originally neutral nations.
Had the American sense of hu-
manities not been outraged over
years there is little likelihood
that we would have joined in that
war. And with us half a dozen
hitherto neutral nations joined
also.
The emotional reaction of the
American people upon a.convic-
tion of wholesale killing of wo-
men and children In another great
war would come nearer to driving
our people to intervention than
all the other arguments in the
world.
If this moral standard of pro-
tection to women and children
were once erected in the world
the violators could confidently ex-
pect that the indignation of neu-
trals would bring them to dis-
aster.
VII
Some Experience
Incidentally on Armistice Day
in 1929 I made the part of this
proposal relating to the immunity
of food ships. It was approved by
the leaders in a score of nations.
Those nations who did not regard
it with favor thought It one-
sided. But they now find them-
selves hideously menaced from
the air. The double proposal
should now commend itself to
those who then thought it one-
sided.
In 1932 I proposed to the World
Conference on Land Disarmament
a limitation on the use of bomb-
ing planes which was accepted by
the representatives of many na-
tions. I did not then propose en-,
forcement through organized neu-
tral action as I now do. . j - .
To those who doubt the prac-
ticability of the idea of ships
moving through blockades, I may
point out that the Belgian Relief
Commission delivered more than
2,000 full cargoes of food through
two rings of blockade. It was
done by International agreement
under neutral management oper-
ating continuously for more than
four years. It proved that this
could be- done.
Moreover, the conventions as to
the Red Cross were fairly well
held to in the civilized countries
during 1914 to 1919. The agree-
ments as to protection of prison-
ers were also fairly well held. At
least some agreements to mitigate
barbarity have been kept in war.
These growths away from bar-
barism lend hope for further
progress toward protection to
women and children.
If we wish to lower our vision
from the transcendent questions
of humanity Involved, we can find
an Impelling Interest to neutrals
in these proposals.
In the last war the blockade
initially reduced demand and
every farmer In the world suf-
fered. Then as the long lanes of
food from the Southern Hemi-
sphere could not be used because
of diminished shipping and the
submarine, the demand was con-
centrated on North America. And
the farmers of the Southern Hemi-
sphere went bankrupt during the
war.
Perhaps some one thinks our
farmer benefited. He did not. Ha
has for years and is today still
suffering from the expansion of
submarginal lands and the infla-
tion of land values duo to the high
prices of the war.
* VIII
Conclusion
Today's Is perhaps a poor at-
mosphere to make any proposal
to mitigate the barbarities of war.
So many are desperate with fear,
so many have learned to hate.
So much hatred and fear are be-
ing stimulated by the artifices
of propaganda.
It is true the processes which
lessened the causes of war and
made for peace have been great-
ly weakened. It is a tragic fact
that In six years the treaties lim-
iting tho navies have been aban-
doned. The hopeful negotiations,
to limit land arms have died
away. Encouraging International
action by the world conference
to restore prosperity of the world
was suppressed. Nations have
lawlessly violated their pledges
never to use war a's an instru-
ment 'of national policies. Every
large nation is arming to the
teeth. The standards of living
all over the world aro being low-
ered to pay for increasing arms.
Fear Is rampant. The only
methods of peace today seem to
be military alliances, threats of
force, and delicate balances of
armed power.
All this may seem discourag-
ing. But there are times when
to rellft the banner of moral
standards is essential. For un-
less it is raised there will be no
morals. Because hate and vio-
lence have risen in men is no
excuse that-we shall forsake rea-
son and humanity.
For America to voice these
ideas on behalf of women and
I children requires no use of force.
, It needs no military alliances, no
leagues, no sanctions. It requires
no politics. But that voice when
raised on behalf of humanlay can
be a most potent force in the
world today.
We possess a great moral power
and we should use it to save man-
kind from the barbarities of war.
Thereby we will promote peace'
In this we will be right at all
times. >
1:1 IUI I1