Evening star., 1946-03-31
League of Nations Set ]
To Bow Out Late in April
Series of Setbacks Ruined Chance to Preserve
World Peace and Task Is Now Turned
Over to UNO.
BY Flora Lewis


have the covenant kept going, it cannot
be dissolved-although there Is nttls
likelihood that this request will be made.
The League must transfer some of its
services to the United Nations control
OF international traffic in drugs and
women, collection of world economic
statistics and others.
There are about 400 treaties which
mention the League and give it certain
responsibilities. Some were signed and
deposited in Geneva. Arrangements
must be made to hand these over to the
United Nations.
Mandates Face Action.
The League must act on the contro-
versial subject of Misunderstanding
mandatory states the power to turn the
areas into United Nations trusteeships.
Ofhcials preparing for this last as
sembly say that there will be no apollo
gies for the past. In dignified cere-
mony, the League will take recognition
of what it did toward laying the ground
work of the new peace agency.
Just as the United Nations faced a
political crisis in its infancy over
Greece, so the League of Nations had
an early test in the Aaland Island dis
pute between Finland and Sweden. The
League finally secured 1o-power agree
ment to demilitarize the islands, give
them to Finland, but accord special
rights to the Swedish population.
In 1914 Russia took over the islands
as part of the armistice with Finland.
Just as United Nations prospects are
for one tough problem after another, so
the League had an almost continuous
series of difficult disputes to solve-or
to leave fostering as sores that finally
broke into world war.
In the early days there was the Po-
lish-Lithuanian dispute over Wilno,
capital of the Baltic State which the
Polish Gen. Zeligowski seized. The
League unable was to do anything.
Stopped Mussolini Once.
The League succeeded in forcing Mus
solini out of Corfu after the Italians
had bombarded the Greek island and
landed troops there. 1t gained some
prestige when it managed to settle the
1922 dispute between Britain and France
over Upper Silesia-another decision
which came unstuck after World War
II.
France sponsored Poland's claims to
the rich industrial area. Britain backed
Germany. The area was finally split on
the basis of population with the bulk
going to Germany. At Yalta, in 1914,
it all went to Poland.
Many scholars say the death certifi-
cate of the League really was signed
in 1931-the year of the "Manchurian
| incident" when China's pleas for action
| against Japan went unheeded.
! Japan's success in paralyzing the
League provided the impetus for Ger
many's withdrawal in 1888, when Hitler
came to power Russia joined shortly
After Germany got out but Japan left
in 1884, further weakening the League
position.
The Leagues last desperate effort to
enforce its promise for a new era of
security came in 1936-Ethiopia.
| U. S. Starts Ball Rolling.
| Lie UillGSU StdtcS, never uleulDeI,
started the ball rolling with an arms
embargo against both Italy and Ethiopia
Britain did the same
| The League imposed some financial
sanctions but then came the vital ques-
tion of oil-the power behind Mussolini's
war machine. The United States, France
and Britain spared, worried about what
the others would do, and finally the
whole attempt to stop Italian aggression
! collapsed.
When the Axis went to Spain to test
its war machine, Russia asked for action
but Britain and France took the Spanish
crisis out of the Leagues hands.
There was no use trying much after
that. The glittering hopes of 1919 and
1920, so tarnished had disintegrated.
The League stayed on in its emptyins
halls, its voice drowned by the noise Of
approaching battle, until the fury OF
war forced the men of Geneva to &c
home. Their return in April is to add
the last postscript. Elsewhere-in Lon.
don and in America-the opening page,
already have been written in the mex,
chapter
distributed by the Associated Press)