Evening star., 1947-07-31
"A Very Grove Situation

HerSchel V. Johnson, deputy United
States delegate to the Security Council,
has not exaggerated in declaring that "a
very grave situation" has been created by
Russia's veto of the effort to pacify the
Balkans. What is involved basically, is
the question whether the United Nations
can have any hope of ever amounting to
anything if the will of the majority of its
the Soviet mo"
In this instance, nine Of the eleven
members of the Security Councillor the
strength of Council-inspired investiga
ton finding Yugoslavia. Albania and Bull
garia guilty of committing hostile acts
against Greece-voted for proposal that
would have done two things: Cd Served
notice on the four countries to draw up
conventions to end their border troubles,
and (2) created a long-terrn United
Nations commission to help in the drafting
of those conventions and to act as a
policing and mediating agency in the area.
Looked at in any light this proposal
must be regarded as having been designed
solely and simply to serve peace. In effect,
therefore, by vetoing It, the Soviet Union
seconded as usual by satellite Poland
may be said to have voted in favor of pro-
longing conditions that could conceivably
lead to a Balkan war. Furthermore, of
course, since Yugoslavia, Albania and Bull
garia are vassals acting only as the
Kremlin wishes, the veto may be inter-
preted as rejecting a Russian desire to
have the vassals continue making trouble.
in ho nf
tually causing the downfall of the present
Athens government and the setting up of
puppet regime capable of forcing Greece
within Moscow's totalitarian orbit.
Apparently this is to be the Stain gov
ernments answer to the Truman Doc
trine." That doctrine is aimed at helping
the Greeks and the Turks to maintain
their territorial integrity and independence
against the pressures emanating from the
Kremlin and applied by the satellite states.
The veto of the Balkan peace-preserving
proposal thus must be considered as
deliberate move to keep the United Nations
from interfering with those pressures or
from acting in any way likely to upset the
Soviet Unions policy of direct and indirect
aggression.
The cooperating majority of the Secu-
rity Council-nine out of eleven-cannot
ignore this challenge. For It's own part,
the United States has made clear that it
is going to meet it as vigorously as possible.
With United Nations members of like mind,
it may set up commission to keep watch
along the Greek frontier without Soviet
participation, or 1t may resort-as the u. N.
Charter provides-to diplomatic and eco
nomic sanctions, or 1t may carry the case
to showdown with Russia at the Septem-
ber meeting of the General Assembly, or
it may take all these and similar measures
together.
In any event, the challenge must be met.
The situation is Every grave" not merely
in terms of the Balkans but in terms of
the whole future of the United Nations as
a force for peace. Everywhere in the
world in great complex of fundamental
issues, the Russians have had nothing to
offer up to now but obstruction. What
needs to be settled, once and for all, is
whether we can ever expect cooperation
from them. If the answer is mo-" then
the powers eager to work together had
better begin planning an international
society of their own strong enough to out
weigh the Krenlln in grim new balance
of power. There has been too much frus-
o1r Ir