"I understand your feelings concerning the ethical prohibition on the taking of life. Wherever it is possible to enforce international law without the resort to violence, I should favour this. I am not a pacifist, however, and hold the view that a world government would have to resort to force to prevent a serious breach of international law if the disastrous arms race in which individual states indulge is not to lead to nuclear annihilation for mankind. There are innumerable economic pressures and diplomatic pressures which a world government could effectively impose upon a state which sought to break the peace and these should be applied first. Nonetheless, only a monopoly of force in possession of such a world authority will prevent re-occurrence of the nightmare world we presently inhabit. This assumes, of course, that we shall somehow emerge from it. I develop this point of view in my book Has Man a Future?"

Ts. is titled "Goals for the Human Race".

Poems titled "In the Year of Our Lord 1656", "Sir Roger's Heart".

"I am afraid it is true that your country [U.S.A.] is very much in the grip of reactionaries as regards public libraries and also as regards teachers. I think, however, that the failure of liberal propaganda is partly the fault of the Liberals. They do not write with sufficient simplicity or with sufficient vigour, and many of them are apt to give an impression of being rather frightened. Ideas and ways of thinking percolate down more than one might be inclined to suppose. Take the word 'idea', a learned and technical word in the philosophy of Plato, but now a common word on the lips of charladies. Or take again the growth of Christianity during the first three centuries with the whole weight of official propaganda against it, or the growth of the Labour Party in England during the first quarter of the present century. Such examples seem to me to prove that one need not despair."

Pamphlet is de Luca's New Glory.

Blurb used on G42, A Paper Kingdom; on verso of de Luca's letter.

Pamphlet is A Paper Kingdom (G42) with BR's blurb for New Glory.

Writer is Princess Dolgoruki.

"I have been following with great interest the trial of Pyronnet and his friends, and I admire them for their action. However, I should very much welcome further details of the case if you are able to send them to me."

On verso of Demetrakos's letter.

Copy of letter and enclosures sent to BR. Poem is titled "Epitaph for Humanity".

"It is encouraging to have such liberal and enlightened views from Ethiopia."

"It was not Belgium that was to blame for atrocities in the Congo, but King Leopold II personally. As a result of his misrule, the Congo was placed under Belgium and not under him. So far as I know, the atrocities then ceased. You will find something about Leopold's rule in the Congo in my book Freedom and Organization (pp. 450-6) but if you want to know more, you should read E.D. Morel's Red Robber [sic for Rubber] (published in 1906) and The Black Man's Burden (1920)."

On verso of reply to letter from Stephen Denison.
 

Letter was returned by P.O. as unknown. BR's signature is in Edith Russell's hand.

Re Sino-Indian border conflict.

Attached is TL(CAR).

"Keep".

"It is useless you reply to me I had better think to girls and not to philosophy."

 

Ts. is titled "The Voice of Cassandra. A Prose Poem" by Desmond.

Re: Birmingham speech.

Ts. is titled "Towards Socialism".

Also signed by Marjorie Sykes and Radhakrishna.

Re apartheid in South Africa.

Typed p.s., indicating a holograph p.s. on the top copy.

Ms. is poem titled "The Noble Peer" and by H. Leslie Devey.

Tss. are poems by the author titled "Peace is Widowed" and "Non Lonesome Road. Sept 17th 1961".

"The destruction of books about Russia in public libraries* occurred when MacCarthy was in his hey-day. Somebody told Eisenhower about it and he was shocked and surprised and spoke out against it. You will find references in the newspapers of the time."

*In the USA. [McCarthy.]

Also enclosed are two pamphlets; newsclip is article on BR by Hugh MacLennan.

On verso of de Voe letter.

[Re CCNY case]

"I think you will find all the necessary information about the 1940 controversy in the appendix written by Professor Edwards to my recent book Why I Am Not a Christian. In one respect I was treated worse than Socrates as I was not allowed to be a party in my own case."

[Address is typed "Plas Penrhyn (#29 Millbank)".]

Ms. is titled "Les Reformes" by an unknown French author.

"Your letter in no way impresses me. I do not sanction ruthless cruelty because of the political views of the victims. South Africa is a tyranny over the majority of its inhabitants and rules by brute force."