The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-16

Chinese Minister has
Constructive Proposal
Allied Executive Group
Should Now Be ORGANIZED
Cooperation Works Best
When War Is Still On
By CLAPPER

WASHINGTON = Little atten-
lion has been given TO what looks
ike a most timely and eonstruo-
tive proposal. Il comes from the
Chinese foreign minister, T. v.
soong. It is that an executive
council of the United Nations be
set up as quickly as possible.
Most Of US have thought Of tins /,
sort of thing as something that
could be done after the war. But /,
Mr.. soong points out that effective
machinery for cooperation viii
have a better chance II 1t Is put
into action before the war is over.
instead of afterward as was the
ease with the League Of Nations. =
Your best chance of getting %
is while there Is sti1l
doubt If the United Nations can
survive unless they do cooperate.
Certainly all of the United Nations
have stronger and more immediate
incentive to cooperate now than
will be the case after victory.
The Allies are swapping at each
other a good deal now, and 1t isn't
too good. There was Stains open
message through the Associated
Press which practically said that
the United States and Great Brit
ain are not doing what they prom
ised. There were Churchilfs re-
marks about Stain in commons a
few weeks ago. The taut nerves
on both sides of the Atlantic have
been revealed in the controversy
over India, and in an explosive
incident, the open letter In Life
to the British people,
which has provoked sharp and
bitter retort in England.
All these incidents, taken to-
gether, suggest that we are still
far from having "a United Ma
tons as an entity, as something
to attract the common loyalty OF
the people in each country. We
all have a common enemy but
we lack cohesion. II must seem
to Hitler as If he Is fighting three
separate nations instead Of the
United Nations, and he certainly
is doing his best to encourage
that division.
Would not the creation of an
executive council of the United
Nations, some central body to pro-
vide more substance and form
than nov exists, help bring a
stronger sense of unity into the
United Nations? Would 1t not
have both psychological and prac-
teal effect in strengthening our
side now? It is not a matter Of
military cooperation. which We get
through the combined chiefs of
staff. The need goes into the po-
litical field. into matters Of high
policy and the psychology of u
side.
We know, furthermore, that
problems of reconstruction will
begin as soon as territory is re-
captured from the enemy. In
France the United Nations must
have a policy for handling recov-
cred territory. When Burma and
the East Indies islands are retaken
there must be a United Nations
policy of dealing with them. Why
would 1t not be good preparation
to have a going United Nations
concern, prepared to deal with
these tasks, not as the United
States, Great Britain, Russia,
China, ar the Netherlands, or what
nation, but as our side. as the
United Nations?
Already considerable inter-allied
machinery has been created piece :
meal. The United Nations have
a number of administrative agen-
cies already functioning. These
are in the form of joint economic
committees. joint production COM
mittees, combined raw materials.
munitions and shipping boards.
and combined food and resources
boards.
In these we have the beginning
Of the kind OF action machinery
that the United Nations must de-
velop II 1t Is to be anything more
than a name. An executive coun-
Gil for the United Nations would
provide q visible. central agency
that would begin to assimilate this
kind Of piecemeal activity into the
nucleus of an international organi-
zation such as must exist II We
r to have any kind Of law and
order and intelligent restoration
from the ruins that the war u
creating. Meantime. into such
central council might be channeled
some Of the differences within
the United Nations that are be-
ginning 10 get out Of hand because
they are being approached oy
long-range bomNrdment with
open letters and speeches instead
Of in council. :
Under Secretary OF State Welle-
without being as specific ss On.
Soong. is urging the setting up
now Of machinery TO deal Win
relief and rehabilitation, and 10
- To- a later urOB~