1861年4月1日威廉·亨利·西沃德备忘录的评析

Appraisal of William Henry Seward's Memorandum of April 1, 1861

1861年4月1日,美国内战前夕,对国际国内形势十分担忧的国务卿威廉·亨利·西沃德提交给林肯总统一份备忘录,要求联邦政府对欧洲发动敌对行动和战争,以期南方放弃分裂行动。林肯反对西沃德的变内战为外战的政策,主张集中全力打赢国内战争,以拯救联邦。西沃德备忘录的根本目的是创建一个和平的环境,全力以赴投入海外扩张,实现"太平洋商业帝国"的伟大梦想。

In 1861 the Civil War was on the point of starting. On 1st.Apr. William Henry Seward who was worrying about the internal situation submitted a memorandum to the President Lincoln. In this memorandum he asked the Federal Government to launch the war aiming at Europe, so as to break the divisive activity in the South. But Lincoln was against his policy turning a civil war into an external war. Lincoln wanted to save the unions with concentrating all efforts on the Civil War. The essential purpose in William Henry Seward's memorandum was to construct a peaceful environment with which can carry out his great dream—'Pacific Commercial Empire'.