U.S. Must Withdraw from NATO, a UN Subsidiary
by John F. McManus, President Emeritus
NATO is in the headlines. Will Russian forces storm into Ukraine? Will NATO’s 30-nation alliance oppose a Russian annexation of its western neighbor? Will NATO demonstrate that it has teeth, something it surely didn’t have when it supervised operations in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban takeover? If you ever wondered how a military alliance whose full name is North Atlantic Treaty Organization got mixed up in faraway Afghanistan, you’re not alone.
Created in 1949, NATO began with 12 member nations that included the United States and Canada plus ten Western European nations. The world was told that its purpose was to block further westward advancement by the USSR’s forces that had already swallowed up Central and Eastern Europe. That development certainly encouraged many senators to approve entering the alliance. It is surely doubtful that national leaders, including those in the U.S., actually knew the full meaning of NATO including its requirement that an attack on any of its members must be considered an attack on all of its members.
But a hard look at NATO’s creation and its immediate effect shows that the alliance is a creature of the United Nations. Articles 52-54 of the United Nations Charter grant UN permission for the creation of “regional arrangements,” so long as they are consistent with the UN’s “Purposes and Principles.” The UN Charter even requires arrangements such as NATO to inform UN leadership of military intentions before they are undertaken. Secretary of State Dean Acheson, an undeniable advocate of one-world control over mankind, urged the entire Senate in his March 18, 1949 speech to approve U.S. membership in NATO. In that revealing talk, he stressed that approval amounted to “an essential measure for strengthening the United Nations.” Nevertheless, the Senate promptly and overwhelmingly approved U.S membership in NATO.
A regional alliance such as NATO has always been useful for the one-worlders. Within days of North Korea’s 1950 attack on South Korea, President Harry Truman sent U.S. forces to South Korea to oppose the North Korean invasion. Asked where he got authorization to commit American troops to a war in Korea without the constitutional requirement for Congress to approve such a move, he said simply, “If I can send troops to Europe,” which he had done by sending forces to NATO, “I can send them to Korea.” Thus began the participation of the U.S. in the UN’s designs without Congress approving such a move as required by the U.S. Constitution. There have been no declarations of war by Congress since 1942 and the beginning of World War II. And America has not won a major war since defeating Germany and Japan.
Actual combat during the Korean War lasted three years and cost the lives of more than 50,000 Americans. But there was no end to U.S. troop involvement in Korea and to NATO’s overall command. Approximately 25,000 U.S. military personnel have been stationed in South Korea ever since the 1953 termination of actual fighting. Who decides where our nation’s forces shall be stationed? The answer, clearly stated in the UN Charter’s Articles 52-54, dealing with “Regional Arrangements” such as NATO is that the UN makes such a decision.
In 1954, the U.S. arranged to create a duplicate of NATO called SEATO, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. U.S. forces under SEATO command went to Vietnam and were forbidden to win that struggle by an array of regulations and mandates. Again, there was no constitutionally-required declaration of war. After more than a decade of furious battles, U.S. forces were permitted by SEATO to vacate the war-torn country. Today, Vietnam is a communist-led nation. The toll among American forces in this UN-directed struggle included 58,000 dead and 153,000 wounded.
Over many years, with an array of pamphlets, books, films and other educational materials, JBS members have been asked to urge their U.S. representatives and senators to support legislation to terminate U.S. membership in the UN. Our goal remains the same: Get US Out! of the United Nations. Now, with the possibility of war between Russia and Ukraine, and NATO being employed to supposedly defend Ukraine, we urge members to contact Congress and urge the termination of U.S. membership in NATO. Urging U.S. withdrawal from NATO will help in the campaign to eventually quit membership in the UN itself, and actually leaving NATO will make UN withdrawal significantly easier.
Accordingly, use our legislative alert “Prevent Unconstitutional Wars: Get US Out! of NATO” to easily contact your U.S. representative and senators in support of full withdrawal from NATO. You can find this alert in the “Federal Alerts” section of the “Act Now” tab on JBS.org, or by going to https://gojt.us/yerj. Also, share this alert with at least one other person outside your chapter to expand the number of people contacting Congress over this vital issue.
Last, but not least, don’t neglect to educate others about why withdrawal from NATO and the UN is imperative. This month, distribute at least 25 copies of the “Top Ten Reasons to Get US Out! of the UN” reprint, which you can find and purchase on ShopJBS.org.
If we put all our effort into educating our fellow citizens, elected officials, and other opinion molders on the dangers of UN and NATO membership, we can and will achieve our goal of fully restoring U.S. national sovereignty.