The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-09
Assembly Votes

The results achieved at the Yalta Conference
| are important enough to weather consider
able number of minor blunders; but that such
| blunders were made, particularly in the mat
ter Of the proposed allotment Of votes in the
Assembly of the new league of the United Ma
tons, seems clear in retrospect. In these blum
ders President Roosevelt played CONSPICUOUS
part
agreeing to support the Russian proposal that
White Russia and the Ukraine be given indie
pendent membership in the Assembly, thereby
allotting three votes to the Soviet Republic
He agreed to this according to the explana-
ton made by Secretary Stettinius yesterday
because of his utmost respect for the heroic
part played by the people of these Republics
in their unylelding resistance to the common
enemy and the fortitude with which they have
borne great suffering in the prosecution of the
war" This respect. surely, is shared to the
hilt by all the people of all the United Nations,
but 1t does not constitute a sufficiently good
reason for departing from the sound principle
of equal representation in the Assembly for
all sovereign nations. There is no real parallel
between the Russian proposal and the fact
that the five British Dominions will have in
British Dominions completely self-govern-
ing states with their own Ambassadors and
Ministers abroad. White Russia and the Ukraine
do not have this status. If they did have this
status it would be perfectly proper to give them
independent votes.
The Presidents second mistake consisted of
putting in bid for three United States votes
IN the Assembly. in case Russia was given
three. This further violated the sound principle
OF equal representation for sovereign nations
At the same time it revived the old bogy of
six British Notes.-The United Kingdom plus
the five Donlinions-Which played such havoc
in the debate over American membership
in the old League of Nations twenty-five years
ago, and it did so needlessly and extensively
Needlessly, because the whole issue at this
point is illusory; neither three votes nor thirty
three votes are needed by the United States
In the Assembly, in order, as the saying goes
Ito prevent us from being voted into war
against our will'; under the Dumbarton Oaks
San Francisco plan we will 60 to war only by
our own Tree choice as a sovereign nation |
however votes are distributed in the Assembly
The mistake was costly, well as unneces-
sary, because, as we can see, some of our old
friends, the isolationists, have been quick to
revive the charge that we are being Cheated"
by having 'only three votes against Brit
aims SIX
Finally, Mr.. Roosevelt's third mistake Law
he had struck this unhappy bargain The in
evitable result of keeping the matter secret
for seven weeks was to raise the suspicion|
that other secret agreements had been made
at Yalta.
Fortunately the statement issued by Secre-
tary Stettinius yesterday, certainly with the
full approval of the President does much to
repair the damage done at these three points
First, it affirms specifically that the only dec-
rofy -
public related to this question of votes in the
Assembly and to the matter of territorial
trusteeship" example, of island bases &C
CURED from Japan Second, the statement an
nounces that the President has now decided
that despite his agreement with Marshal Stain
at Ya1ta on this point the United States will
not ask at San Francisco for additional votes
in the Assembly-an eminently wise decision.
Third, while we shall unquestionably stand by
our promise, and support the Russian claim
for additional representation, if it is made, yes
terday's statement notes that it is not for us
alone but rather for the San Francisco Con-
ference itself ito decide whether any proposal
affecting voting in the General Assembly of
the proposed United Nations organization i'm
pairs the principle of sovereign equality, lust
as the Conference itself must determine the
application and Interpretation of any general
principles enunciated in the Dumbarton Oaks
proposals.
With this much clear, good deal of lost
ground has been recovered and we are back
again on the right track. The incident has
been costly. But in our judgment it has not
been without certain compensatory features.
Nor has it been earth-shaking enough in itself
to rock seriously the solid structure of what
was accomplished at Yalta in the agreement
OF the three Great Powers, first, on prosecu.
ton OF the war against Nazi Germany to the
bitter end; second, on the main principles of
political reconstruction on the Continent of
Europe, and third, on the need, the purposes
and the chief powers of new society to main
tain international law and order-New York
Times.
SO THEY SAY