Evening star., 1950-05-23
The President on the u. N.

President Truman, in his fourth annual re-
port to Congress on United States participation
in the United Nations, has stated emphatically
that the "U N. is and must be Point Of our
foreign policy" But he has not tried to sugar
coat the bitter fact that this f1edgling world
organization-apart from what it has accom-
plished in connection with such problems as
Indonesia, the Berlin blockade, Palestine and
Kashmir-has fallen so far short of its objectives
that international tension today seems deeper
than at any time since the end Of the war.
The United Nations, however, is not to blame
for that. If its members were all cooperating in
good faith and living up to the high principles
OF its Charter, it would now be we'll advanced
with the building of good and enduring peace.
What has held 1t back, what has virtually para
lyzed it, is the willful obstructionism of the
Soviet Union-the policy of walkout, boycott,
sabotage, mendacity and general dog the
manger i'll will that has characterized the Krem-
Inns U. N. conduct on every issue of major
Importance, including atomic control, the free
exchange of information, treaties for Austria
Germany and Japan, the problem of China, and
direct and indirect aggression and subversion
in Europe and Asia.
1t is because good faith, peace -mindedness
and sincere willingness to cooperate have thus
been lacking on the part of the Russians and
their cowed satellites that the U. N. has not yet
come anywhere near fulfilling the hopes reposed
in 1t at the time of its founding in San Francisco
Nor will those hopes ever be fulfilled as long as
the Kremlin finds it profitable to continue on its
present course. That is why, as the President
says, t is essential to create the conditions un-
der which 1t will be to the interest of the Soviet
Union to enter into and keep agreements. All
international activities which create moral eco
nomic and military strength among the nations
of the free world will broaden the area of pos
sible agreement"
In other words, although the United Nations
is in fact disunited, that part of it which still
stands together-the free, non-Soviet part made
up OF the overwhelming majority Of members
must through projects like the Marshall Plan,
the Greek-Turkish aid program, the Rio Pact
and the North Atlantic Treaty do everything
possible to grow in power and unity Although
some have suggested that it might be good
idea to reorganize the U. N. accordingly-with
the Russian bloc excuded-the President, in
declaring that the present organization should
be Point of our foreign policy" obviously holds
that the job can be done just as we'll within the
framework of the Charter, and there is great
deal to be said for his view. "a b5A7~ .--'~.
q; I The day may come of course, when Soviet
policy will make it impossible to keep the United
Nations alive in its present form. But If the free
members carry as the President urges if they
work together to create for themselves kind
of common front-conditions Of real moral eco
nomic and military strength the balance of
world power can be tipped so heavily in their
favor that the Kremlin, seeing itself playing
losing game, may in time feel impelled to CO.
operate. When and If that happens, the U. N
will begin to function as it is supposed to func-
tion, and decent peace will be far less remote
than it seems right now in this dark period of
the cold war;