It may well be that the far-reaching plans built up
around the atomic bomb arise from, that very philosophy
which is expressed in the words: "Peace . .. becomes almost
hateful when war is over." If we are to adopt this dismal
philosophy, then, of course, we must draw the correspond-
ing political conclusions: swell our military budgets,
increase the size of our armies, and do our best to out-
strip others in the race for armaments, including atomic
bombs. There can be only one continuation of this belliger-
ent philosophy: in preparations for new aggression, which
has been so unanimously coiiidemned among the United
Natiomis. But it is not difficult to perceive the error of talk
about "almost baleful peace." .In this philosophy we detect,
first and foremost, a (profound lack of faith in the road of
peaceful progress for one's country, and a pessimistic
uncertainty as to one's strength when faced by the pros-
pect of peaceful competition among states and social sys-
tems. On the other hand, this philosophy is rank with the
unrestrained desire for expansion and for undivided world
supremacy.
We cannot believe that the Americans, in their major-
ity, adhere to this sort of philosophy. We assume thai the
Americans, like all other peace-loving nations, after
their successes in the second world war, desire above all
else that the peace be as stable as possible, that the secu-
rity of the peoples become the chief concern of the gov-
ernments of the United Nations. These sentiments of Ihe
ordinary people of the Soviet Union and of the United
States unite these peoples with one another and with all
the other United Nations.
The Soviet Union emerged from the recent war as a
country which had experienced hateful enemy occupation
on a considerable part of its territory. For long years to
come, our people will be unable to forget their tremendous
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