Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-03
World J! Farley Studies
Acquisition Of Assets
OF League Of Nations
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.


and varied assets to the Unite,
Nations is being considered b,
delegates to the conference nov
engaged in drafting a charte
Tor the new peace organization
Forty-four nations, including
majority of the United Nation
whose delegates are gathered here
are members OF the old League
Written into many-perhaps NOR
Han 100-international treaties arr
provisions relating to the League
The problem of what to do about the
old League, therefore, is not entirely
ample.
In San Francisco now are three
officials of the old League invited by
the United Nations to advise, Wher
the time comes, on this subject
They are Sean Lester. acting secre-
tary general of the League: Seymour
Jacklln, treasurer, and Alexander
Loveday, director of the Leagues
economic and financial department
Mr.. Lester is an Irishman, who fol-
five years was a delegate to tho
League Assembly before he entered
its secretariat. He has been acting
secretary general since 1910. Mr.
Jacklin is from South Africa and
Mr.. Loveday from the United King
dom.
The probable course will be adop-
ton by the United Nations Confer
ence of resolution for the appoint
ment of a committee to negotiate
with the League.
Among the physical assets of the
old League are its buildings in &C.
neva. the most complete and best
arranged set of buildings for the
use of an international organiza-
ton in the world today. Whether
the new international organization
will wish to make use of them is
not know. But if it does. there
they are ready for it to take over
Included in the list of buildings is
library. filled with books and
documents bearing particularly on
international relations and interna-
tional law-the most complete IL
brary of its kind in the world 1t
could be of tremendous value to
the new organization.
Branches Still Functionins.
It is estimated that the physical
properties of the old League are
worth between $lO,0OO000 and SIS
900 900.
OF considerable additional impor-
tance are the activities which are
still functioning in research fields,
with stats of trained experts. One
section of these stats is in Prince
ton, N. j., working on economic and
financial matters. Another is in
Washington. 1t deals with the mar
cotics problem. There are some of
those experts in London. The In
ternational Labor Organization.
which is closely allied with the old
League. has its headquarters in Mon
treal. Canada.
Many of these employees and Of
ficials of the League have had long
training and experience in research
work. which would be of value to
the new world organization.
The value of the League layout
necessarily will depend on what use
We - no fo1oGn nf in tho f1J
When the League of Nations cove
nant was written, it was specified
that the permanent home of the Or
ganlzation should be in Geneva. 1t
was deemed best to place it in one
of the smaller nations, and one
which had tradition of neutral
ity-as has Switzerland
Whether the United Nations Con-
ference here will undertake to pick
a home for its new organization has
not been determined. Certainly no
such effort will be made until the
charter has been drafted and ap-
proved. If and when this has been
accomplished successfully and with
ooV wv lllkA1l tiIC
psychology of the situation appears
to warrant 1.-THE delegations may
get down to the job of picking a
place for the offices of the new in
ternational organization.
Russia Cool to Geneva
Russia is said to have frowned on
Geneva as the site of the new
organization. The Russians have
not been on good terms with the
Swiss, who never have recognized
the. Soviet Union. 1t is understood
that Russia would prefer Vienna OF
Prague. But those cities might be
rejected by some of the Western
European nations and by the Amer
leans as being to much within the
orbit Of Russian influence.
There is some discussion of the
Pays de Gex, a plateau in France
near Geneva, and easily accessible
to the old League buildings. 1t
might be a wise selection, if it could
be made an international district, y
completely independent.