Address Before Congress

在國會的演講
Address Before Congress

(Douglas MacArthur)
Apr.19,1951.

I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride. Humility in the wake of all those great American architects of our history who have stood here before me. Pride in the reflection that this home of legislative debate represents human liberty in the purest form yet devised. Here are centered the hopes and aspirations and faith of the entire human race. I do not stand here as advocate of any partisan cause, for the issues are fundamental and reach quite beyond the realm of partisan consideration, They must be resolved on the highest plane of national interest, if our cause is to prove sound and our future protected. I trust, therefore, that you will do me the justice of receiving that which I have to say as solely expressing the considered viewpoint of a fellow American. I address you with neither rancor nor bitterness, in the fading twilight of life, with but one purpose in mind: to serve my country.

The issues are global, and so interlocked that to consider the problems of one sector, oblivious to those of another is but to cause disaster for the whole. While Asia is commonly referred to as the gateway to Europe, it is no less true that Europe is the gateway to Asia, and the broad influence of the one cannot fail to have its impact upon the other. There are those who claim our strength is inadequate to protect on both fronts, that we cannot divide our effort, I can think of no greater expression of defeatism. If a potential enemy can divide his strength on two fronts, it#39;s for us to counter his efforts. The Communist threat is a global one, its successful advance in one sector threatens the destruction of every other sector. You cannot
appease, or otherwise surrender to Communism in Asia. without simultaneously undermining our efforts to halt its advance in Europe.

Beyond pointing out these general truisms. I shall confine my discussion to the general areas of Asia. Before one may objectively assess the situation now existing there, he must comprehend something of Asia s past. and the revolutionary changes which have marked her course up to the present. Long exploited by the so-called colonial powers, with little opportunity to achieve any degree of social justice, individual dignity or higher standard of life, such as guided our own noble administration of the Philippines. The peoples of Asia found their opportunity in the war just passed to throw off the shackles of colonialism, and now see the dawn of new opportunity: an heretofore unfelt dignity and the self-respect of political freedom. Mustering half of the earth#39;s population and sixty percent of its natural resources. these peoples are rapidly consolidating a new force, both moral and material. with which to raise their living standard and the adaptations of the design of modern progress to their own distinct cultural environments. Whether one adhere to the concept of colonization or not, this is the direction of Asian progress and it may not be stopped. It is a corollary to the shift of the world economic frontiers as the whole epicenter of world affairs rotates back toward the area whence it started. In this situation, it becomes vital that our own country orient its policies in constancy with this basic evolutionary condition rather than pursue a course blind to the reality that the colonial era is now past and the Asian peoples covet the right to shape their own free destiny What they seek now is friendly guidance, understanding and support, not imperialist directions.

It was my constant effort to preserve them. and end the savage conflict honorably and with the least loss of time and in minimum sacrifice of life. Its growing bloodshed has caused me
the deepest anguish and anxiety. Those gallant men will remain often in my thoughts and my prayers, always.

I am closing my fifty-two years of military service. When I joined the army even before the turn of the century. it was the fulfillment of all my boytsh hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at WestPoint, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, But I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die, they just fade away. And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career. and just fade away An old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty Good-bye.

在國會的演講
1951.4.19
（道格拉斯·麥克阿瑟）


我懷著十分謙卑而又十分驕傲的心情站在這演講臺上。我謙卑是因為在我之前，許多美國歷史上偉大的建設(shè)者們都曾經(jīng)在這里發(fā)過言；我驕傲，是因為今天我們的立法辯論代表著經(jīng)思考的最純粹的人類解放。這是全人類的希望、熱情和信仰的所在。我并不是作為任何一個黨派的擁護者站在這里講話的，因為這些問題至關(guān)重要，超越了黨派的界線。如果我們的動因要被證實是正確的。如果要保障我們的將來，制定關(guān)于國家利益的最高綱領(lǐng)時就必須考慮到它們。我相信，當(dāng)我，一個美國普通公民，說完我僅僅是為了陳述經(jīng)深思熟慮而得出的觀點之后，你們會公平地接受它。在我生命將逝之年做這個告別演說，無仇無怨，在我心中只有一個目的：為我的祖國服務(wù)。

這些問題是全球性而且環(huán)環(huán)相扣的，任何的顧此失彼對會給整體造成災(zāi)難。亞洲被普遍認(rèn)為是通往歐洲的門戶，同樣的，歐洲也是通往亞洲的大門，二者息息相關(guān)。有人認(rèn)為我們的力量不足以同時保住兩個陣地，因為我們不能分散我們的力量。我想，這是我聽到的最悲觀的失敗主義論調(diào)了。如果我們潛在的敵人能夠把他的力量分在兩條線上，那我們就必須與之抗衡�！�…。

除了指出這些大家已明白的問題外，我將把討論集中在亞洲地區(qū)。在客觀地估計那里的現(xiàn)狀之前，我們必須了解亞洲的過去，了解導(dǎo)致她上升到今天這種局勢的革命性的變化。長期遭受所謂殖民主義勢力的剝削使亞洲人民沒有機會獲取任何程度的社會平等、個人尊嚴(yán)，也無法提高生活水平，就象被我們的菲律賓貴族政府所統(tǒng)治的`那樣。亞洲人民在戰(zhàn)爭中找到了機會，得以擺脫殖民主義的枷鎖，而且現(xiàn)在有更多的新的契機擺在他們面前：政治獨立帶來的以前從未感受過的尊嚴(yán)和自重。亞洲有占世界一半的人口和百分之六十的自然資源，她的人民正迅速地鞏固著一個新興的力量，包括精神和物質(zhì)兩方面，藉此提高他們的生活水平，協(xié)調(diào)現(xiàn)代化的進步和他們特有的文化環(huán)境。不管你是不是堅持殖民的觀點，這才是亞洲前進的方向，她不會停步。這一點是世界經(jīng)濟防線轉(zhuǎn)移、國際事務(wù)中心回歸原點的必然結(jié)果。在這種情況下，我們國家在政治上必須與基本的革命形勢一致，而不能無視殖民時代已經(jīng)過時，且亞洲人民渴望開創(chuàng)自己的自由生活的現(xiàn)實，這十分重要。他們現(xiàn)在需要的是友好的指引、理解和支持，而不是專制的指揮。

我堅持保全他們，并希望能用最少的時間、最小的犧牲體面地結(jié)束這場野蠻的沖突。越來越多的流血讓我感到深深的痛苦和焦慮。那些勇敢的人的形象在我的腦海中揮之不去，我將永遠(yuǎn)為他們祈禱。

我將結(jié)束我五十二年的軍旅生涯。我在世紀(jì)之交前就已加入軍隊，它滿足了我孩童時所有的希望和夢想。自從我在西點的草坪上宣讀誓言以來，這個世界已經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了多次轉(zhuǎn)變，童年的希望和夢想早已消失得無影無蹤。但我依然記得當(dāng)年那首流行的軍歌中驕傲的迭句：一個老兵永不死亡，他只是淡出舞臺。就象歌中的老兵一樣，我結(jié)束我的軍旅生涯，只是淡出了人生舞臺。一個力圖象上帝指引的那樣完成他的責(zé)任的老兵。再見。