UN General Assembly
1956

52. I confine myself here to the effect which the atom’s dominion over our consciousness had in the field of international diplomacy and on our tackling of the problem of disarmament. That problem has now been under discussion for more than ten years, but agreement has eluded the statesmen working on it. At the same time, the most sceptical among us would have to admit that the gap between positions has considerably narrowed. My delegation fervently hopes that this gap will be bridged. It has to be bridged because the alternative is too frightful to contemplate. Human beings may lack many virtues, but the instinct of self-preservation is strong as a motive force in our actions.