Evening star., 1949-10-09


we did not think Unesco could save
the world by itself.
| To the extreme devotees of
Unesco, this was heresy. 1t was
lamost as if one might have said
to devout churchman that Chris
tianity was not enough. We ad-
mitted that if Unesco could create
enough international understand
ing, there would be no need for an
international police force or even
a world political organization, but
we did not think it practical to
expect this to happen.
We added what / believe to be
profoundly true, that while Unesco
is merely one contributing factor
to world stability. it is vital one.
A sufficient sense of world COM
munity must be created through
Unesco or some similar organiza-
ton, to give the political, military
and economic agencies of U. N.
a chance to succeed. Police can
not possibly keep the peace, in a
town or in the world, unless most
of the citizens are aw-abiding.
| Our position was promptly
challenged, politely but with con-
siderable effect, by Mr.. Bidault,
chairman of the French delega-
ton. Bidault appealed to Latin
sentimentality. saying that the
political organs of the U. N. at
Lake Success were not succeeding
very we'll and that Unesco, which
appealed to the spirit and con-
science of man, could 60 along its
own way regardless of what was
being done or not done at Lake
Success. His speech was soundly
applauded.
DIR. Evans on Board
However, as the conference pro-
ceeded, most delegates dispensed
with oratory and got down to
cases. In a full examination of
| the many activities of Unesco, we
kept constantly before the confer
ence the necessity of testing every
project to see that it fitted into
an integrated plan designed to
accomplish the overall U. N. OBJ.
jective, which is world peace.
| The United States delegation
has received messages of warm
appreciation for our efforts in this
direction from the authorities at
Lake Success. I am not at liberty
to divulge an important develop
ment which will be announced in
about month. but am confident
that it will mean that Upesco
will have a much better chance to
work closely with the U. N. than
it has previously. for the common
! good
The United States delegation at
this conference has been an able
and balanced team. The vice
chairman of the delegation was
DR.. Milton Eisenhower. president
of Kansas State College. The wide
spread interest in Unesco which
has developed throughout the
United States during the past
three years has been due more to
DR.. EisenhoWer's initiative and
personal leadership of the United
States National Commission for
Unesco than to any other single
person.
| Another outstanding Unescan,
who became vice cairman of the
delegation following DR.. Eisen-
hower's departure, was DR.. Luther
Evans, librarian of Congress. DR..
Evans was the hardest-worked
member of a hard working dele
CATION, and was elected to the 18-
member Unesco Executive Board
at this conference.
Iron Curtain Problems
DR.. Reinhold Niebuhr of Union
Theological Seminary, whose main
assignment on the delegation was
to conduct philosophical discus
sion. with Bertrand Russell Of
Britain, Bidault of France, Rad
hakrishnan of India and others
found himself suddenly. thrown
into the midst OF a tense political
debate at one of the early plenary
sessions. The subject under dis
cussion was whether Unesco
should carry out any activity in
Germany. The Polish, Czech and
Hungarian delegations were bit
terly opposed to such activity and
threatened to leave Unesco if the
conference insisted on working
with what they termed the "neo-
fascist" Germans of Western Ger
many, DR.. Niebuhr performed
brilliantly, pointing out that
Unesco had asked Uncle Joe" for
permission to work in Eastern
Germany but had received no re-
ply. He def1ed any one to show
that Unesco supported Naziism
anywhere. His position was over
whelmingly supported by the con-
ference, whereupon the Poles.
Czechs and Hungarians (the only
iron curtain delegations PRESENT.
staged dramatic walkout. =
They returned at the end to
renew the attack, with charges
that Unesco had become a tool of
American propaganda in the cold
war. They were voted down solid
ly. IS to 4. It is too early to deter
mine whether the three countries
will now withdraw completely
from Unesco, although majority
opinion seems to be they will not.
The debate concerning Germany
went to the heart of the Unesco
principle. The satellite countries
took the position. that efforts to
educate the Germans were futile
and that they should be quaran-
tined from the rest of the world.
p,1%. ~ Ill