Eighty years ago moves to reorder the world for peace follows different paths.

 

 

Churchill followed up his infamous "Gestapo" broadcast with one that was almost as alarmist and counter productive. He described the Labour leaders as "autocratic philanthropists" and claimed that "the violent imposition of the Socialistic system, such as has now emerged as a demand from the extreme and potentially dominant forces of the Socialist Party" would not only involve the restriction of Parliamentary government but would rob the ordinary wage-earner of his personal freedom. In part he was led astray by the antics of Harold Laski, an extreme Labour left-winger, who seemed to imagine that a Labour government would be controlled by the left-dominated National Executive. Laski referred to Clement Attlee as the "nominal head" of the party. In reality Laski was a wholly marginal figure and Churchill was being sucked into hysterical anti-socialist rants rather than advancing any positive case for remaining as prime minister.

The prime minister of the Polish government in exile Stanislaw Mikolajczyk agreed to join the "national" government  that was being formed for the country. This was hailed by naive optimists (perhaps Stalinist appeasers too) as "incontestable proof of Allied concord." In reality it reflected the fact that with the UK and US unwilling to challenge Stalin, there was little alternative. The Moscow show trial and speedy conviction of sixteen Polish leaders on trumped up charges of anti-Soviet activity displayed Stalin's true attitude.

The main Indian leaders met at a formal conference in Simla under the chairmanship of Lord Wavell as viceroy. Their immediate task was to select members for the Viceroy's council which would oversee the next steps towards autonomy . It was rapidly apparent that neither Gandhi nor Jinnah was willing to attempt seriously to overcome communal differences between Hindus and Moslems. The Conference was adjourned.

What was called at the time the World Security Charter was signed by all fifty delegates to the San Francisco conference. Its goal was to preserve world peace and security, in which its predecessor the League of Nations had conspicuously failed.  It was soon rebaptized as the United Nations Charter and has served as the bedrock of the institution ever since.