Evening star., 1946-03-31
UNO More Fortunate
Than League on Site
Observer Sees Gains for Peace
Already Evident.
By Raymond Moley.

| Most of the obvious and some OF the
the seat of the UN have been listed
by the booster committees of Gotham
| 1t is ma jor center of communications,
| publishing, international societies and
| education. These are significant ad-
vantages and, apparently, were domi-
nant in the choice of the UN ITSELF
1t always seemed to me that the West
Coast was preferable, because it faces
newer and bigger world. But New
| York it is, and speculation now is in
vited as to the long-term significance Of
this new sort of world capital
| What are the advantages of New
York over the old League of Nations
site at Geneva? What in the long run,
will be the effect on Washington, and
what of the influence of Washington
| on New York and the UN?
The UN itself has an immense start
over the League of Nations. Here it is.
less than year DID, with the strong
support of the two major nations, the
! United States and the U. S. s. r. A
| year after the end of the First World
| War these nations were missing from
the League. The founder of the League,
Woodrow Wilson, lay stricken in the
! White House. The Senate was In open
/ rebellion. Russia was in the worlds
| doghouse
Now, there is deeply anxious con-
Germ for the UN on all sides. It
started the present session of the Secur-
ity Council with good will on all sides.
An air of growing maturity is gathering
| about it, which was missing at San
Francisco. These factors Immediately
| throw light on the Bronx gymnasium
| never in evidence at Geneva
The city of Geneva was an awkward
site for world affairs, despite its harm
less neutrality and its illustrious history.
| 1t was remote. Air travel was primitive
in the 20s, and the train trip from the
| great European capitals to Geneva was
slow. News services in the Swiss city
were limited
| Moreover, there always was an un-
real air around the Geneva of the 20s.
| There were many ambitious and not too
able young officials from small countries
scattered around. There were q num-
Der OF rather bored newspapermen,
counting their days before a return to
! London, Paris or New York. Always,
there were long-haired reformers de-
| termlned to have the League take up
Esperanto, dress reform or a new calen-
| dar. Every summer visiting students
/ came who were sent there in the hope
that, by meeting students from other
lands, they might foster peace. These
/ students did more arguing than learning
/ and so intensified their various national
| isms.
/ Somehow Geneva created the impress
/ sion Of lot Of Well-meaning people
trying to put reality into a vitally
defective organization. The great Euro
pean problems. SO far as they were
considered, were dealt with by states
men on flying visit The representa-
tives of the small countries never knew
quite how to fit in.
Berne, the capital city of Switzerland
was, to be frank. a one-horse show
Washington already is ma jor center of
/ world diplomacy. 1t is a center Of world
finance and international relief. Its
major embassies rival in importance
their home foreign Offices. For a time
the traditional diplomacy of Washington
will dominate the new UN capital in
New York. Most of the issues to be met
In the UN will originate in Washington,
And traditional diplomatic methods, so
evident in Washington, will mark the
procedures of the UN. But that will not
prevail for long.
In year or so the UN capital will
develop character of it's own. And it
Will be unprecedented. The UN setup
will be theoretically independent unity
with a permanent organization actually
attached to no governments The little
state will have its own laws, police force
and other special services. The repre-
sentatives of the nations on the Council
and in the Assembly will not be routine
diplomats. They will be special UN-ers
The matters with which they will deal
will differ in time from the questions
handled by ambassadors and ministers
in Washington. The UN will pioneer
Washington will be routine.
In New York there will center the
innumerable societies, agencies ano
movements which have international
aims. Vast and not always wholesome
propaganda will use New York as a base
OF operations. Educational efforts of a
more wholesome nature will gather
there. An opportunity will be provided
TO induce meeting of the minds OF
nations on scale hitherto impossible
II there is anything in the idea that
national differences can be stabilized
and understood by contact, there will be
a chance to try it out.
The UN has the further immense
advantage OF its location in a major
country. The United States will be
moved to a greater and not isolated
neutrality. AS the host to the UN and
as the most potent Nation, it will be able
to mediate conflicts and balance the
imperial claims of Britain and Russia
World stability cannot come from the
chaos of equal nations. 1t will come
from the leadership and elf-restraint
Of the strong