Evening star., 1954-09-20
Wedge-Driying and the Assembly

Wedge-DlNIng W ana the Assembly
When 1t convenes in New York tomor-
row for its ninth regular session, the
United Nations General Assembly will be
able to note with some satisfaction that
now, for the first time since its founding,
there are no organized hot wars anywhere
In the world. Gratifying as that may be,
however, the fact remains that interna-
tional tension continues to be so serious
that only the most wishful and unrealiStic
OF optimiSts would deny that the tides OF
history still are running strong against the
effort to build decent and enduring peace.
Or course, as throughout all the years
since the end of the second World War,
the chief reason for this unpromising and
dangerous situation Is the Kremlin's per-
SiStent Neutrality-suspicious. with it's Satel-
lites and the Chinese Communists s-of the
principles of the United Nations Charter.
So flagrant has the violation been-so con-
Stant, so systematic and so criminal, as in
the Korean aggreSSion-that the U. n,
both in the Security Council and the Gen.
eral Assembly, has had little or no chance
to attain its great obiectives. Still, since
the overwhelming majority of its members
: has held together up to now against the
conSpir atorial Soviet maneuvers aimed at
domination Of the globe, it unquestionably
has exercised a wholesome restraining
legal and moral influence on international
affairs.
But unfortunately, as the 60-nation
Assembly prepares to meet again, it's free
world members seem to be less firmly united
than at any time since the founding of the
U. N. in 1945. This is especially true of
the powers that make up the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. Owing largely to the
rejection of the European Defense Com
munity by the National Assembly in Paris,
critical problemS-revolving mainly around
the question of West German rearmament
have come to divide and weaken the
NATO alliance. The United States and
France no longer see eye to eye. Britain
appears to be somewhere in the middle.
Other nations on our side of the Iron
Curtain are uncertain about the whole
prospect, and the result is that the u. Ms
big majority of non-Soviet members looks
lot less solid and reSolute and cohesive
than it used to be.
All this, it need hardly be added,
amounts to an irresistible invitation to the
Soviet delegation to do everything possible
in the General Assembly to drive additional
wedges between our country and its prin-
cipal friends and allies. To that end, on
large issues and small, the Russians can
be counted upon to carry out an expert
propaganda job-a job calculated to be-
fuddle the old anti -Krenlin United Nations
majority, ahd perhaps break it up with
disagreement and dissension on such issues
as the following: (1) Red China's demand
for admission into U. N. membership (2)
IndoneSia's attack on Dutch sovereignty
over Western New Guinea, (3) Greece's
dispute with Britain regarding the status
of Cyprus, and (4) the continuing deadlock
over prohibition and control of atomic
hydrogen weapons and disarmament in
general.
These are but a few of the many con-
troversial items that will be on the agenda
of the Assembly's ninth regular session,
but they are enough to show why Andrei
Vishinsky and his colleagues will have a
real opportunity to sow seeds Of discord
among the so or more nations including
some in Asia-that have heretofore voted
solidly against the Kremlin in the U. NJ
In the circumstances, few things could seem
more imperative than a special effort by
the free nations, regardless OF the bitter
ness engendered by the EDC's defeat, to hold
fast together against the obvious Soviet
drive to split them apart catastrophica1ly.