Creature From Jekyll Island by G. Edward полностью

The major conclusion of the report was that, in the past, war has been the only reliable means to achieve that goal. It contends that only during times of war or the threat of war are the masses compliant enough to carry the yoke of government without complaint. Fear of conquest and pillage by an enemy can make almost any burden seem acceptable by comparison. War can be used to arouse human passion and patriotic feelings of loyalty to the nation's leaders. No amount of sacrifice in the name of victory will be rejected. Resistance is viewed as treason. But, in times of peace, people become resentful of high taxes, shortages, and bureaucratic intervention. When they become disrespectful of their leaders, they become dangerous. No government has long survived without enemies and armed conflict. War, therefore, has been an indispensable condition for "stabilizing society." These are the report's exact words:

The war system not only has been essential to the existence ofnations as independent political entities, but has been equallyindispensable to their stable political structure. Without it, nogovernment has ever been able to obtain acquiescence in its

"legitimacy," or right to rule its society. The possibility of warprovides the sense of external necessity without which no governmentcan long remain in power. The historical record reveals one instance1- Leonard Lewin, ed., Report from Iron Mountain on the Possibility and Desirability ofPeace (New York: Dell Publishing, 1967), pp. 13-14.

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THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND

after another where the failure of a regime to maintain the credibilityof a war threat led to its dissolution, by the forces of private interest, ofreactions to social injustice, or of other disintegrative elements. Theorganization of society for the possibility of war is its principalpolitical stabilizer.... It has enabled societies to maintain necessaryclass distinctions, and it has insured the subordination of the citizensto the state by virtue of the residual war powers inherent in theconcept of nationhood.

A NEW DEFINITION OF PEACE

The report then explains that we are approaching a point in history where the old formulas may no longer work. Why? Because it may now be possible to create a world government in which all nations will be disarmed and disciplined by a world army, a

condition which will be called peace. The report says: "The word

peace, as we have used it in the following pages,... implies total and general disarmament."2 Under that scenario, independent nations will no longer exist and governments will not have the capability to wage war. There could be military action by the world army against renegade political subdivisions, but these would be called peace-keeping operations, and soldiers would be called peace keepers. No matter how much property is destroyed or how much blood is spilled, the bullets will be "peaceful" bullets and the bombs—even atomic bombs, if necessary—will be "peaceful"

bombs.

The report then raises the question of whether there can ever be a suitable substitute for war? What else could the regional governments use—and what could the world government itself use—to legitimize and perpetuate itself? To provide an answer to that question was the stated purpose of the study.

The Report from Iron Mountain concludes that there can be no substitute for war unless it possesses three properties. It must (1) be economically wasteful, (2) represent a credible threat of great magnitude, and (3) provide a logical excuse for compulsory service to the government.

A SOPHISTICATED FORM OF SLAVERY

On the subject of compulsory service, the report explains that one of the advantages of standing armies is that they provide a 1. Ibid., pp. 39,81.

2. Ibid., p. 9.