Smyrna times., 1950-08-10
Visit TO the
United N0tiOnS
BY Evelyn Webb

A feeling of awe upon entering
the corridor leading to the room
where we would visit the General
Assembly of the United Nations
pervaded all of the hours spent in
the building. An atmosphere, not
like that experienced before in any
public assemblage, was electric
with the sense of the Importance
of what We were beholding and
hearing. The signs of "Silence" in
the corridor, where hundreds of
people were waiting, hoping to be
admitted, were obeyed, and only
hushed whispers were heard as We
awaited entrance. We were finally
led into a room where we were
briefed about the events leading up
to the discussion which we would
hear when admitted. On that day,
Wednesday, July 26, the issue was
Eritrea, and what to do about the
fate of that small country on the
Red Sea. We were told how to use
the earphones, dialing the proper
number to hear the translations in
English, and we rehearsed that
procedure in the briefing room.
Soon the breathless moment ar
rived when we were summoned by
Madame Yang, Chinese official as
sistant, who was our guide, and we
found ourselves filing into the room
where the meeting was in session.
The chairman was Charles Noyes,
United States representative. We
heard the distinguished representa-
tives from Pakistan, Ecuador, Bur-
ma, ETHIOPIA, and Yemen present
their reasons for or against the
making of Eritrea an Independent
nation. The most polite and dip
lomatic tones and words were used,
and one was impressed by the ex-
treme courtesy of all of the men
as they addressed the assembly or
the chair. No bitter and recrimin-
ating words were used, such as
were heard the following week
when Yakov Malik, Russian repre-
sentative and presiding officer for
the month of August led forth
with his TRADE against the United
States. The. most fascinating part
of all for this correspondent was
watching the interpreters, Chinese,
Spanish, French, and English, in
their glass-enclosed rooms, and
tuning in, by turn of the dial, to
the foreign tongues. In a split
second after the speakers words
were said, the interpreters were
pouring them forth in their owr
language, a difficult feat. Never
before have 1 seen such alert ex
pressions of concentration on the
faces of any human beings as those
worn by these interpreters, and ont
sensed the Importance OF theil
task. never to make the slightes
error in their translations.
Afternoon Session
We stayed until the afternoon
session was over and walked ou
close beside the foreign representa-
tives. who separated into beauti
fully furnished lounges provides
along the corridor for their specia
use. The group of thirty-five wo
men attending the regional work
shop of the National Congress o
Parents and Teachers at Montclair
New Jersey, who were my assocl
ates on this trip to the United Ma
tions. decided to have dinner il
the cafeteria at the UN building
at Lake Success, Long Island, an
it was interesting to look about tn
vast room where people of man,
nations were eating together. de
spite the war in Korea, and the at
titude of Russia, one had the feel
ing that while men of all of tn
nations in the world sat around tn
oval, backed by the secretaria'
things could not get too desperate
and surely we had gone far alon
the road to better understandin
than ever before. The importan
thing was that great men of man
races, colors, and creeds, wer
patiently working out the problem
together, and that has never pee
done before in the history OF tn
world. The very words, Unite
Nations. in which there is implici
a sense of union, became a realit
before ones eyes, and brougr
comfort and assurance for the II
ture.