Airstrip One is part of the vast political entity Oceania, which is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities,
Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing
records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and
allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant "correction" of such records. "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan,.'"