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1932 › Norman Thomas (Socialist) › League of Nations and international organizations

Join the League and World Court; lead general disarmament; free the Philippines; withdraw from Nicaragua, Haiti and China; recognize the Soviet Union

pledge_forwardspecific_pledgeparty_platformevidence B Defense & MilitaryDiplomacy & International Institutions similar solutions · similar reasoning

Solution

Enter the League of Nations and World Court; take the initiative for disarmament by international agreement and reduce American arms 'progressively and drastically to the point of complete disarmament'; grant immediate and full Philippine independence; withdraw armed forces from all foreign countries; recognize Soviet Russia.

Rationale

War is the product of capitalist competition for markets; 'so long as Europe remains prostrate America cannot recover.'

Evidence B: the platform text is archived only as contemporary newspaper OCR (Milwaukee Leader, the Socialist daily) and Levinson's New Leader summary, not the official platform document.

Statements (2)

1932-05-22 · Morris Hillquit NBC radio address for the Socialist ticket, reported in the Milwaukee Leader · conventionsurrogate ✓ verified

We demand that our govern ment take the initiative in a real and earnest effort to secure general disarmament by international agreement, and that it set an ex ample to the rest of the world by granting immediate and full inde pendence to the Philippines, with drawing our armed forces from all foreign countries and reducing our own armaments progressively and drastically to the point of complete disarmament.

Source: The Milwaukee leader (Milwaukee, Wis.), May 23, 1932, (Home Edition) (page 2) (1932-05-23)

1932-05-24 · Edward Levinson, convention report in The New Leader (May 28) · conventionparty_platform ✓ verified

The United States should favor disarmament and take the lead in reducing its own arms, says the section on international relations.

Source: The Socialist Party Convention Day-by-Day (1932-05-24)

Follow-through

not_applicable

Thomas received 2.2 percent of the vote; the Socialist program could not be tested in office. Philippine independence was legislated in 1934 and the Soviet Union recognized in November 1933; League membership, the World Court and general disarmament were not achieved.

Enacted by others

1933-11-16	Franklin D. Roosevelt	treaty Recognition of the Soviet Union	source
1934-03-24	Franklin D. Roosevelt	statute Tydings-McDuffie Act	source

Other positions on this issue

Do not make the League of Nations a party issue; no entry until a majority of Americans approve — Newton D. Baker, 1932 specific_pledge

1932-thomas-disarmament-league-philippines · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed