Word: bevinism
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...With Every Nerve." At London, Britain's Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin summed up the Western position. He said: "If a settlement is to be blocked every time we try, we cannot go on forever with chaos in Europe as it is now. ... I shall strive with every nerve and every effort to get a politically united Germany. . . . But if in the end peace is denied, then surely you cannot expect us at this stage to stand still with Western Europe in chaos and not do anything...
...other compass points of the conference table were the U.S.'s George Marshall and Britain's Ernie Bevin. Marshall dominated the room. He sat quite erect as always, listening to everything, talking least of all. But whenever he did speak, or even when he made a discernible movement among his papers, he got instant, taut attention. Bevin spoke in bursts, slumped back in his chair betweentimes. Sometimes, to the horrified fascination of others at the table, he rolled his false teeth (new last year) gently back & forth in his great jaws...
Molotov was in familiar form, thundering that only the Soviet Union desired a "democratic, peace"-that the other great powers sought an "imperialist peace" and were stirring up a new war. Bevin turned his heaviest humor on that. Said he: "We are used to it now, being called warmongers. The only good saint in the world is the Soviet Union. As for the rest of us, we all come from somewhere down below, I suppose." Molotov smiled a wintry ghost of a smile...
Marshall had resolved to stay out of a propaganda contest with the Russians, yet Marshall answered: "We . . . sincerely desire to see a democratic government established in Germany at the earliest possible moment." Said Bevin: "It is the desire of the British government that at the earliest possible opportunity a central government should be established. But . . . how is it to be elected? What powers is it to have...
...wrathful over Russia's "calculated campaign of vilification and distortion of American motives in foreign affairs." The U.S. had one objective in Europe: restore Europe's peace and economic equilibrium. With that objective he was going to London to sit with Molotov, Bevin and Bidault on the fate of Germany and Austria. "My purpose [is] to concentrate solely on finding an acceptable basis of agreement to terminate the present tragic stalemate," he said...