Evening star., 1952-10-05
UNESC0 Commission
Opposes Admission o.
Spain 10 U. n. Group
BY jones {. Roper

By Jones {. Roper
The National Commission TO,
UNESCO. ignoring State Depart
ment policy. yesterday opposed
the admission of Spain tc
UNESCo.
The commission approved with
out comment q recommendation
OF its executive committee that
Spain be barred because of its
notorious dictatorship"
Assistant Secretary of State
Rowland II. Sergeant had in
formed the National Commission
that the United States will favor
Spain'S participation in UNESCO
known formally as the United
Nations Economic, Social and
Cultural Organization.
The National Commission, in
addition to blacklisting Spain,
voted to set up a publicity COM
mittee to answer critics, and hotly
denied that it favored world gov
eminent.
Resolution Approved.
The commission approved a
resolution stating there is mo
basis in fact" for statements that
the group 'is engaged in support
ing the concepts Of One World
Government and One World Citi-
xenship."
This commission reafirmS sup
port Of its program for the edu-
cation Of peoples to live as citizens
Of sovereign states in a COM
munity of all mankind" the reso-
luton said.
The Commission is composed OF
representatives of 100 private
organizations pledged to support
UNESCO, an arm Of the United
Nations. The State Department
provides about 1925 900 annually
to pay the Commission staff and
the expenses of delegates attend
ing commission sessions.
The commission yesterday ended
. three-day conference by elect
ing Walter H. c. Laves as chair
man. He succeeds Luther H.
Evans, Librarian of Congress.
Mr.. Laves. q resident of Chevy
Chase. Md. is vice president of
the Institute Of Government At
fairs and a former interna-
tional affairs adviser to President
Truman's executive Office.
Attacks Called Warning.
Mr.. Laves told delegates that
attacks on UNESCO are storm
warnings to be read with concern
by all Americans.
Inevitably. the enemies of
democracy, Of freedom, of equal
opportunity. of tolerance. of edu-
cation itself, must sooner OF later
attack UNESCO." he said.
Most of the three-day con-
ference centered on the problem
of meeting mounting criticism of
UNESCO. Mrs. Roosevelt told the
Commission Friday that it should
start convincing more American
people that they need UN. The
Commission responded by setting
up the publicity committee. but
admonished it to act with dignity
and modesty.
The recommendation against
letting Spain join UNESCO came
as something of surprise in view
Of the Commissions close link
with the State Department.
The executive committees re-
port, which sailed through the
plenary Commission meeting, gave
this explanation for opposing
SPANS membership:
"UNESCO'S great value today is
symbolic and moral. It would
jeopardize its standing and au-
thority if it were to admit to
membership a notorious dictator
ship.
I'm view Of the absence of free
communication with the Spanish
people. the net gain of exposing
the Spanish representatives to
UNESCO's influence would not be
sufficiently great to offset the dis
advantages inherent in weakening
It's theological position"
Broad Program Planned.
The Commission also gagged
over a suggested UNESCO program
of more than 100 international
meetings during the next two
years. The most popular confer
ence site was Paris, but other
sites were scattered across the
globe. They included a SYM
postum on typhoons. a meeting to
be held in Jakarta, Indonesia; and
q symposium ION the formation
of an advisory committee on the
humid tropical zone," a meeting
set for Paris.
Ofncers elected, in addition to
Mr.. Laves, included these vice
chairmen: Stanley H.. Ruttenberg,
director Of the CIO Department Of
Education and Research; Miss
Helen Bragdon, general director
of the American Association Of
University Women. and Robert
c. Angel, sociology professor of
the University of Michigan.
Six new organizations were
elected to membership to replace
six others under policy of ro-
tation. New member groups are
Adult Education Association,
American Institute of Architects,
American Jewish Committee,
American Newspaper Guild, As
sociation of International Rela-
tions Clubs and the League Of
Women Voters.