Evening star., 1947-09-15
A Futeful Issue

In his ADDRESS marking the opening OF
United Nations week, Secretary Marshall
has taken into full account the worlds
growing skepticism over the U. Ms ability
to achieve good and enduring peace. He
has made clear, moreover, the basic reason
for that skepticism. 1t is Russian policy.
overwhelming majority of nations are
ready and willing to work together. But
there is one persistent holdout. Secretary
Marshall has not had to name names.
Every informed citizen of the world knows
that the Soviet Union alone-by excessive
use of its veto power and by working indi-
rectly through its satellites-has been
stubbornly and deliberately following a
line calculated to prolong chaos and frus
trate every major effort to establish a
normal international order under a sys
tenn of genuine collective security.
AS a case in point Secretary Marshall
has placed special emphasis on what
Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania have
been doing in an attempt to undermine
the territorial integrity and political indie
pendence of Greece. These three coun-
tries-one of them already a member of
the United Nations-have been systemat-
ically violating the principles of the U. N.
Wholly apart from their anti democratic
internal policies they have been aiding the
Greek guerrillas for the brazen purpose of
overthroWing the present Greek govern
ment and preparing the way for COM
munist regime to force the country within
the Soviet orbit. They are doing this with
the Kremlin's inspiration and blessing.
The Stain government has only to tell
them to stop. and they will stop. But the
Stain government does not want them to
stop: on the contrary, directly and indi-
rectly, it has blocked the efforts of the
U. N. to set up special longterm COM
establish peace there.
This is a grave matter. Together with
Soviet policy on other issues, it explains
why faith in the United Nations has waned
SO seriously in the past two years. But
Secretary Marshall still has hope that the
trend can be reversed. The United States,
he says, finds cit difficult to believe that
members of the organization would delib-
erately seek to destroy it's structure by
obstruction of nature to paralyze the
principal organs of the organization.' He
looks forward to a test on this point during
the new General Assembly session opening
tomorrow Although he does not want the
veto done away with, he apparently believes
that the nations meeting in this great
forum-the nearest thing we have to
an international parliament-can marshal
world opinion and world moral suasion to
end the abuse of that power. He ap-
parently believes, too, that they may be
able to compel constructive action as
regards Greece as we'll as regards such
other momentous problems as Palestine.
In any event. Secretary Marshall has
left no room for doubt that the United
States intends to take the initiative in the
General Assembly to determine, once and
for ALL whether the Soviet Union proposes
to keep on with it's policy of paralysis.
This is question that cannot be lodged.
It must be met and answered. one way or
the other The nations now gathering at
Flushing Meadow thus have kind OF
showdown issue before them. In some
respects. it is the most fateful issue since
the founding of the U. N.