Sept. 3, 1987

To The Editor:

OnIndependence Mall Sunday evening, August 9, 1987, with over threehundred World Federalists from 20 countries, I signed the"Declaration of Philadelphia" requesting our home governments toconsider doing what was done 200 years ago in the "City of BrotherlyLove". At that time 12 of our sovereign states signed theConstitution and created the United States of America. The"Declaration of Philadelphia 1987" adopted the same principle offederation, and called upon people all over the world to create aUnited States of the World. It was the Federalist's conviction thatPhiladelphia 1787 should teach Philadelphia 1987 the same lesson offederation.

WorldFederalists believe that peace is not possible without justice; thatjustice is not possible without law; and that law is not possiblewithout government. They believe that to assure peace and abolishwar, an international world authority or government needs to becreated with an international legislature, properly weighted in itsvoting, with an international court of justice and an internationalpeace force. Few people can fault this rational approach to peace andto sane global relations, but there are many who contend it isimpossible. One should remember George Washington's appeal to thedelegates in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 made after three andone-half months of fruitless meetings: "It is too probable that noplan we propose will be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful conflict isto be sustained. If to please the people we offer what we ourselvesdisapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let me raise astandard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in thehands of God." Less than 2 weeks later a compromise was reached andthe constitution signed!

AlbertEinstein said "the bomb changed everything except man's way ofthinking." Perhaps circumstances today are changing the minds of men,for M. Gorbachev, General Secretary of the U.S.S.R., recently said"We will either live together or die together", and at the GenevaConference in 1985 it was agreed that "a nuclear war can never befought and can never be won." There are no victors in a nuclear war!It is common knowledge today that both the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.each possess approximately 10,000 nuclear warheads, each onepossessing more destructive capacity than the combined power fired byboth sides in World War II.

If you feelthat the superpowers do not have the moral right to imperil us andthe rest of the world, call 1-800-HATE WAR.

Charles E. Jacobson Jr., M.D.

45 Wyllys St.

Manchester, CT