The decision of the Duke of Windsor to broadcast a speech pleading for peace asa simple soldier in the last war, and the refusal of the B.B.C., and the Canadian Broadcasting Ca. to relay it must naturally arouse considerable interest. There was a number of reasons why the two broadcasting concerns should have decided to take the line they did, and particularly in the case of the former the knowledge thatthe speech would not be submitted in advance, one of the essential requirements of the B.B.C. in most cases, probably weighed just as heavily as those other political considerations which must have borne weight. It must be said at the outset that the Duke's decision to broadcast to the United States, while the King and Queen are on the high seas with that country as their ultimate destination, is to say the least most unfortunate, and greatly to be regretted. It is quite obvious that anything which might be looked upon as an endeavour,—using a theatrical phrase not wholly out of keeping,—"to steal the show," in this manner cannot but meet with the gravest disapproval. It must at all times be remembered that no matter with what disapproval important bodies of people within the Empire may have looked upon that particular phase of the Duke's life which led to his abdication in 1936, there are stil probably hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, animated by more sentimental feelings than are permitted in ordinary statecraft, to whom the personality of the Duke has a singular attraction. For him, therefore, to make such an appeal to the people of the United States at a juncture like the present is to interject a personal factor into the situation which while not actually mischievous certainly does nothing conducive of that success which it is hoped will attend the visit of Their Majesties to that country. There must be the completest support for the contention of the "Daily Express" that any word spoken to the United States should come from the King, and even though the broadcast dealt with nothing more innocuous than an appeal for peace it would have come at a much more appropriate time after the King's mission to Canada had been brought to a conclusion.
The speech itself is harmless enough. It apparently contains nothing which could not, ior should not be said by anyone anxious to avert all the horrors of which the Duke had personal experience twenty-five years ago. The sentiments which he therein expressed will find an echo in the hearts of all except those who apparently still find something glorious in the hideousness which war has eVer been. The Duke made it quite clear that he was speaking for no one but himself, and in doing so he spoke from an international point of view, which can easily be accepted by everyone except those deeply imbued with the narrower, national outlook, and there is much point in his question "Are we going to destroy civilization by failing to do internationally what we have learned to do individually for a life of harmony with our fellow men?" A great deal more may be read into that very simple question than appears on a superficial reading of the words. There are still canons of justice which require that wrongs of the past shall be righted so far as present-day conceptions permit, for there can be no retrogression to the old divisions of the world, though there might be adjustments which would restore the sense of equity and remove causes of complaint and irritation. It is a point which the Duke has emphasized, and which deserves always to be borne in mind. It is to be hoped that the appeal for peace "in the name of those who fell in the last war, in the name of the living, in the name of the youth of the present da: will not fall idly upon the ears of those to whom the broadcast was addressed. It might even be stated that had this broadcast been timed for 3n occasion remote from the occurrences which are planned to take place in the near future on the North American continent, it would have gained much of the force which it must at the present lose because of the very natural resentment that many must feel that the Duke broke his silence at a time such as this.
In considering what role the Duke of Windsor is to play in public affairs in the future the greatest possible care should be taken to see that he is in no way victimized because of the disappointment the progress of his own personal affairs gave to so large a proportion of the inhabitants of the British Empire. To condemn so active a man to a life of useless solitude, to deny him the right to make his contribution to the settlement of the problems of the world for which his life and training well fits him, would be to perpetrate an injustice completely alien to the British sense of fair play. This very speech in itself is indicative of the part he may yet have to play in the affairs of the world, naturally subordinate to the róle he would otherwise have filled, but nevertheless by no means an unimportant exe. The question, however, naturally arises as to whether in view of this indiscretion he has not delayed that time when he might reasonably have been expected to emerge from his self-imposed retirement, and assume some of the tasks of leadership for which he is still so eminently fitted. The action of the B.B.C, and the Canadian Broadcasting Ca. in declining to relay the broadcast was in the circumstances the only proper course to pursue, and is not to be taken in the same light as pronouncements subsequent to the Duke's abdication which gave an uncomfortable feeling that they were dictated by a vindictiveness for which there could not be the slightest excuse. There may be some criticism of the action of the British Press in publishing the wavelengths of American stations to enable owners of short-wave sets to pick the relay up. On the face of it that seems to be assisting in a broadcast against which British officialdom had set their faces.
The fact, however, that the Duke was broadcasting, was news, such as people should be able to secure first hand if they desired. That also justifies the publication of the text in the Press, but the fact that this was done does not mean that there was any difference of opinion as to the undesirability of the Duke's action at such a time. It is to be hoped that as a result of this unfortunate incident greater care will be displayed by the Duke and his advisers to refrain from similar action in the future.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.