Editorial: The greatest memorial
The world will plan and erect many memorials to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
But the greatest of all would be for the United Nations to carry into practical execution the Atlantic Charter – the first product of his many meetings with the leaders of this war, and the statement so intimately connected with his name.
The Atlantic Charter was drafted in a meeting between the president and Prime Minister Churchill on a warship in the ocean which gave the charter its name, in early August 1941. It was announced in Washington and London of August 14, 1941 – less than four months before Pearl Harbor.
On this day when our nation and the world are mourning the passing of one of the two authors, there could be no better tribute to Franklin D. Roosevelt than to review the Atlantic Charter, with a solemn determination to help carry its provision into actuality.
Here are the things the Atlantic Charter promises:
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No aggrandizement.
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No territorial changes that do not accord with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned.
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Respect for the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live.
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Enjoyment by all states, great or small, victor or vanquished, of access on equal terms to the trade and to the raw materials of the world.
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Fullest collaboration of all nations toward improved labor conditions, economic adjustment and social security.
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Peace and safety for all nations within their boundaries and freedom for all men from fear and want.
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Traversal by all men of the high seas and oceans without hindrance.
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Abandonment of the use of force.
Twenty-six countries then at war with the Axis on January 2, 1942, formally pledged themselves to the Charter.
Today, in the midst of our mourning, there could be no greater tribute at home or abroad than a sincere determination to carry out the brave words adopted before we entered the war and reaffirmed by all the United Nations afterward.