, 1950-02-14
BoUGH PRAISES :. Continued from page y

Nations. 1t has been my good fortune to get back home every
single year, from the time when l was attending Columbia
University in 1927 asa student at college. In this way have
been able to keep in close touch with the people of the Vr-
gin Islands and their problems. While we are here today to
celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Christiansted Branch Of
the Virgin Islands Congressional Council I want to use this
happy occasion to tell the people of the Virgin Islands some
thing about my work at the United Nations, and the expert
ences I have had there during the nearly four years that 1
have been an official of that international organization.
It was DR.. Ralph J. Bunche who invited me to join his
staff at the United Nations, and assist him in the advance
ment of the international welt are of the non-self-governing
peoples of the world. To the surprise of a great number of
people, | resigned my position as the United States District
Attorney Of the Virgin Islands in order to accept the post of
Chief Of the Caribbean Section, at the United Nations. Many
of my friends could not see why | should leave a lucrative
position at home to take a new job under the still unsettled
conditions OF the world. To them the opportunity for me. to
get a broader and richer experience in a wider field, and to
benefit from the contact and influence Of the statemen of
the world was less tangible, and could not compensate for the
loss of the government position that I was relinquishing. Well,
as you know, ! joined that staff of the United Nations, and
for the prestige that it has brought the Virgin Islands, 1 am
proud and happy that / did. It will interest you to know that
ION the occasion of the banquet which the Acting Governor
gave in st. Thomas last week for Ambassador Austin, the
United States permanent representative to the United Ma
Etions, he saw fit to recognize me personally in the course Of
his remarks and to make mention of the work that ! was en-
gagged in at the United Nations. I was proud for myself and
for you, the people of the Virgin Islands.
There are eight departments at the United Nations, with
a total staff of 5000 international officers. One of these is
called the Department Of Trusteeship and Information from
Non-Self-Governing Territories. At the head of this Depart
ment is DR.. Victor Hoo, one of the Assistant Secretaries Cen
Ieral, a Chinese. Next in command is DR.. Ralph ]. Bunche,
my personal friend, whom ! met at Howard University many
many years ago through the former Governor, now Circuit
Court Judge HASTE. DR.. Bunche is the Top Ranking Direc-
tor. Then there is Mr.. Wilfrid Benson, an Englishman, who
lis the Director of the Division Of Mons If
Governing Territories. This is the Division in which / am one
of the three Section Chiefs. We have a Chief of Section for
Africa, one for the Pacific and Asia, and one for the Carib-
bean. In addition we have what is called a Specialists Unit
with experts in the fields of agriculture, education, public
health, labor and social welfare. Our Department is respon-
sible for the international welfare of two hundred million
non-self-governing peoples throughout the world. As one Of
the Senior Officials it is part of my duties to participate in
the formulation of international policy and procedures which
affect these peoples. We have an annual budget of thirty mil,
lion dollars at the United Nations. For our Department the
annual appropriation is close to a million and a half dollars.
I mention.these figures to give you an indication of the size
of our enterprise.