Never has there been such a grim willingness on the part of the American public to do whatever they can for the war effort, declared Arthur M. Schlesinger, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, in a lecture yesterday afternoon on "American History and the Peace Problem."

Although he fears a reversion to isolationism after the present war, Schlesinger believes that because the memory of the last war is still vivid, people who have experienced the consequences of isolationism, will better realize that we must take the lead in setting the post war problems.

Roosevelt's Policy Realistic

President Roosevelt, even before the United States entered the war, had procured eight bases from Great Britain and had proclaimed our country the "Arsenal of Democracy," whereas President Wilson continually told the nation to be calm and collected. Thus in the last war the nation was lulled into cool, "neutral" thinking only to be whipped into a highly emotional state by our sudden declaration of war against Germany.

In order to create an effective international organization for collective security after the war, Schlesinger believes that each country must forever denounce Hitler's methods, and must agree to give up part of its national sovereignty.