The Unbreakable Spirit Code

WE SHALL WIN OR WE SHALL DIE

By GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR, Supreme Commander of the United Nations Forces in the Southern Pacific

Delivered at a dinner given in his honor at the Australian Parliament House, Canberra, Australia, March 26, 1942

Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. VII, pp. 397.

I AM deeply moved by the warmth of the greeting extended to me by all of Australia. The hospitality of your country is proverbial throughout the world, but your reception has far exceeded anything I could have anticipated.

Although this is my first trip to Australia I already feel at home. There is a link that binds our two countries together which does not depend upon written protocol, upon treaties of alliance or upon diplomatic doctrine. It goes deeper than that.

It is that indescribable consanguinity of race which causes us to have the same aspirations, the same hopes and desires, the same ideals and the same dreams of future destiny. My presence here is tangible evidence of our unity.

I have come as a soldier in a great crusade of personal liberty as opposed to perpetual slavery. My faith in our ultimate victory is invincible, and I bring to you tonightthe unbreakable spirit of the free man's military code in support of our just cause.

That code has come down to us from even before the days of knighthood and chivalry. It will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies that the world has ever known. It embraces the things that are right and condemns the things that are wrong. Under its banner the free men of the world are united today. There can be no compromise. We shall win or we shall die, and to this end I pledge you the full resources of all the mighty power of my country and all the blood of my countrymen.

Mr. Prime Minister, tonight will be an unforgettable memory for me. Your inspiring words and those of your compatriots will be emblazoned always in my memory as though they had been carved in stone or bronze. Under their inspiration I am taking the liberty of assuming the high honors of raising my glass in salute to your great country and its great leaders.