The Declaration of Atlantic Unity
June 19, 2023•725 words
🇪🇺 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 I find the Declaration of Atlantic Unity extremely interesting. Today liberals are calling for free trade among allies, not adversaries, while creating an economic security strategy amongst us to protect our economies from countries that have never cooperated in the free trade rules and use economic coercion as a strategy, specifically China. Apparently that is exactly what the signers of the Declaration of Atlantic Unity were calling for. The signers of the document include former US President Truman, among other notable politicians and academics from the US and Europe. The politicians from that era are the politicians I look up to for guidance on current affairs, since our current politicians are lacking the qualities we have grown to expect in US leadership. Reading historical documents provides a lot of insight into the thoughts of the great leaders of the past.
Excerpts from the Declaration of Atlantic Unity:
President Eisenhower has warned that "unity among free nations is our only hope of survival" and has declared that "NATO symbolizes the unity of free men in an age of peril." This is our conviction also. We must never forget that we are all bound together by our common belief in freedom under law.
The fourteen members of NATO have mutually guaranteed each other against armed aggression and merged under one command parts of their land, sea and air forces to make their pledge effective. NATO has succeeded in vastly reducing the danger of direct military attack in Europe. This success has caused the enemies of freedom to divert their military aggression to other areas and to concentrate on diplomatic manoeuvres to disrupt the unity of the NATO nations. Their efforts have been aided by voices of isolationism in each of our countries and by mutual recrimination. Thus, our peril from disunity has increased.
This is no time for half-hearted measures. While welcoming the progress made towards European union, we believe that nothing less than an effectively integrated Atlantic Community, which would include German defense forces, will in the end adequately meet the challenge of the times. Defense in today's terms extends beyond military requirements and into the political, economic and cultural aspects of our lives.
On the 25 April, 1953, the NATO Council of Ministers stated in their communique: "Convinced that in unity lies their greatest strength, they are resolved to broaden co-operation in every field, economic, political and social, as well as military, and so make the Atlantic Community a lasting reality."
We call upon our governments to proceed now to redeem that pledge by initiating the following measures for which there is already authority under the North Atlantic Treaty:
The development of NATO as a central agency to co-ordinate the political, trade and defense policies of the member nations.
The elaboration, pursuant to Article II of the North Atlantic Treaty, of a comprehensive mutual program for lowering tariffs, freeing currencies and eliminating trade restrictions so that there may be established an adequate economic basis for the Atlantic Community and associated nations. Common economic action will give us not only better defense at less cost, but also the benefits of an expanding, and thriving economy, thus raising the standards of living for the Atlantic Community and the whole free world.
The establishment by each of our legislatures of a parliamentary committee or association for NATO to further understanding in each member country of its progress and potentialities.
The creation of an advisory Atlantic Assembly, representative of the legislatures of the member nations, which would meet periodically to discuss matters of common concern. Observers could be invited from associated states.
The establishment by NATO of an Economic Advisory Council comprising representatives of employers and employees to advise the Council and other NATO bodies on the effect of their policies on the standard of living in the NATO countries, especially upon the working population.
We remind our governments that NATO, in the words of its Secretary General, "is something new and exciting and revolutionary, the most challenging and constructive experiment in international relations ever attempted."
We ask our fellow citizens to urge our respective governments to make this experiment succeed. We are convinced that in our ability to do so lies the well-being of us all.
xo
You can find the Declaration of Atlantic Unity in the NATO archives. https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/2/3/23417/C-M_54_76_ENG.pdf