Declaration of Interdependence

This week Americans could learn how fabulously a U.S. opinion about internationalism had shifted in three swift years.

Less than three years ago the FORTUNE Survey found a bare 13% of Americans in favor of U.S. participation in any kind of international organization. In the current survey in the March issue that figure has surged up to a decisive 68%. Only 12.7% of the polices voted for "no alliances and as little as possible to do with other countries"; only 7.7% wanted to "depend only on separate alliances with certain countries"; and only 11.5% who had no opinion. But the striking news is the list of fairly specific powers which Americans are willing, in a new U.S. Declaration of Interdependence, to entrust to a world confederation (see table).

In the table listing the international organization's suggested powers, only the last three failed to get majority approval. Even then, if the undecided polices divided evenly after making up their minds, only the last one would fail of a majority.

FORTUNE judiciously noted: "Not until the people are confronted with an actual international organization will it be possible to say for certain whether these confident opinions are only misty daydreams." The detailed questions & answers:

If a general international organization should be set up, which of these things do you think it should and should not be organized to do?

Should Should Don't Not Know Prevent any member country from starting a war of its own against an outside country 79.0% 7.0% 14.0% Decide which country is right if two members got into a dispute 75.9% 8.2% 15.9% Decide what military strength each member nation can have 69.0% 13.6% 17.4% Have a permanent military force of its own, stronger than any single nation 54.0% 23.3% 22.7% Regulate the rights of air planes from one member nation to land on airfields in other member nations 61.1 % 14.0 % 24.9 % Decide what tariff rates should be charged by member nations 44.8% 23.3% 31.9% Decide which side is right if a civil war breaks out in a member nation, and support that side 43.0 % 31.7 % 25.3 % Decide minimum standards for working conditions in member countries 32.0 % 44.7 % 23.3 %

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