Evening star., 1951-05-14
Peipinq, the u. NJ. and Our Veto

Peiping, the u. N. and Our Veto
As he has told the Senate committees in
vestigating Gen. MacArthur's dismissal, Defense
Secretary Marshall strongly believes-"at the
present time"-that the United States should
veto any proposal to admit Red China into the
United Nations. On the heels Of this statement,
however, Ambassador Austin, our chief delegate
to the NJ has made point OF indicating that
such a proposal. even though we would vote
against 1t and "do everything in our power to
persuade the majority" 10 reject It, would be
non-vetoable.
In thus expressing view that seems sharply
at variance with Gen. Marshall's, Mr. Austin has
given the impression that the course Of events
has not led our Government to change its past
position on this matter. That position, as de-
fined by Secretary of State Acheson prior to the
Chinese Communist aggression in Korea, may
be summed up as follows: That If at least seven
members OF the Security Council recommend
the admission of the Peiping Red regime into
the u. NJ, and If the recommendation is then
adopted by two-thirds Of the General Assembly,
the United States, though voting In opposition,
will abide by the majority decision on the ground
that the issue is procedural rather than sub
stantive
OF course, as made clear In the u. N. Charter,
only substantive matters are subject to the veto
OF any Of the five permanent members Of the
Security Council. Accordingly, II the question
OF Red China's admission is in fact merely pro-
cedural, then the United States can hardly do
more than what Mr. Austin has indicated The
procedural interpretation however, is based on
such narrow technicality and involves such
legalistic hair-splittng that 1t simply cannot be
reconciled with the hard realities or be made
to add up to common sense. Certainly the
hoV ef,,l Anw
committed by the Chinese Communists, regard
the issue involved here not as an issue Of simple
procedure but as an issue full Of the greatest
and gravest substance.
As for the technicalities, it has been argued
that it Is important to distinguish between (1)
the question Of voting to accept new member
into the United Nations and (2) the question Of
changing the representation of an old member.
Thus according to this view, since China already
belongs, the issue to be considered is not the
substantive one of admitting it lit has been
I'm from the very start) but the procedural
one of deciding whether the Nationalist govern
ment of Chang Kai-shek or the Peiping Reds
should be allowed to speak for the Chinese peo-
pie in the world organization. But this legalism,
besides being highly debatable even on narrow
technical grounds, entirely overlooks the fact
that the Communist regime of Mao Tze-tung
and obligations that government or state must
live up to to be eligible for a seat in the U. N.
Under those principles and obligations, all
members must. among other things be peace
loving; renounce "the threat or use of force"
against the territory or independence of other
countries; support the u N: in whatever meas
ures it adopts, and refrain from giving assist
ance to any state against which the United
Nations is taking preventive or enforcement
action" Conceivably, before they crossed the Yalu
River and cut loose with their massive aggression
in Korea, the Chinese Communists might have
qualified for seat in the Security Council and
the General Assembly. But today, in view of
what they have DONE with all the blood and
guilt on their hands, 1t Is a mockery of the
moral realities, and Of everything that the
Charter stands for, to suggest that the question
OF admitting them into membership is b mere
procedural matter immune to our veto.
It seems hardly conceivable that our Govern
ment still adheres to the position it took prior
to Red Chinas invasion of Korea. Yet Mr.
Austin's statement, in contrast to Gen. Mar
shalPs, suggests otherwise. Secretary Acheson,
when 1t Is his turn to appear before the Senate
committees, ought to straighten out this matter
without the slightest equivocation-in a way
that will make clear to the world that unless
and until the Peiping Communists completely
reverse themselves, and make due amends for
their crimes our American veto will be en-
ployed to the full to keep them out of the U. N.
Not simple procedure, but the full substance, the
basic integrity. the very heart of the Charter
Is at stake here.
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