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XsAol4 e. Augus + 52s - page nine French government of all pacts of political alliance or military assistance that bind our country to one or the other of the two "blocs" eee 35 Such active neutrality can only be carried out by nations that have enough moral unity, economic soundness and military strength to be able to live in independence of both Soviet Kussiay and the United States. eee One renders very poor service to a cause, by hiding ss. the true difficulties that it implies. it is evident that the denumciation of the Atlantic Pact sss would lead to the suspension, at least partially, of the American assistance, that otherwise has been heavily paid for sss A policy of austerity, restrictions and increased production efforts would be the consequence eee Uther difficulty: French neutrality could not be disarmed; one should therefore not expect in the years to come, to obtain a considerable reduction in military expenses or even in the length of military service cee Neutralists have not to be dreamers nor demagogues: the “progressist" idyll of a returning economic progperity, of a constantly rising standard of living, of a reconstruction in prosperity and plentifulness and of the great reforms fulfilling some "Revolution in sweetness and light", all this to the neutralist is the most dangerous of illusions. Under present circumstances, neutralism cannot afford the luxury of being "revdutionary" ese One of the men who has strongly cooperated with Esprit, ever since its revival after the war, Paul Ricoeur, expresses somewhat the same idea in an article entitled "For the peaceful co-existence of Civilizations" (#177, March 1951, pp.408-409). According to him, the important step for saving peace, is to eliminate the causes of conflict between the two existing great civilizations: the American "progressive" way of life and the Russian communism. No war could wipe out the one or the other of these established forces, because they are not a superficial phenomenon, but a "global way of being", formed by a long evolution. The means for creating an atmosphere in which these two civilizations could co-exist without clashing are, according to Ricoeur: le «++ A triangular Pact between communists, progressists and nonvidlents, having as main purpose the organization of a military and diplomatic neutrality sss in the framework of which the other oppositions might continue to develop, excluding however the major absurdity of an armed conflict evo. along 2. The preparation of a new Peace Pact implies some practical moves ő the lines of action on which political parties operate ss.: a) the refusal of German re-armament ese b) the ending of the Viet-Nam ware. this gonflict undermining not only the vital strength of France, but also its moral resistance eses 6) the concentration of France's main effort on its social equipment see the fight against poverty being the true front and, if one wishes to defeat communism, it is on that line alone that the battle might be won eee 4) a diplomatic and military neutrality sss such policy, even if dangerous, would have at least the merit of not decaying the national conscience, as docs’ the Atlantic Alliance «se. e) an extremely reserved attitude towards the "uropean Movements", in the sense in which they are oriented today ese sensed a
