Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-20
Hope and the Assembly

Largely because of the Geneva SUM
nit" conference and the ostensible I'M
provement it has effected in the interna-
tional climate, the 10th regular session
of the United Nations General Assembly
opens today in an atmosphere OF consid-
cradle hope At very least, the expecta-
ton is that good manners will be DIS
played by all parties concerned (meaning
particularly the Soviet bloc and the
western powers) and that some progress
will be made toward agreement on
number OF issues that have long be-
witched, bothered and bewildered the
entire world.
The greatest of these issues, among
some 10 items on the Assembly's pros
pective agenda, is that Of disarmament
in the atomic-hydrogen age. Actually, IL
is an issue that seems in many respects
to be misnamed, and the reason for this
is that there is solid ground for doubling
that any one of the great powers seriously
believes in the possibility OF arriving al
an understanding effective enough to
bring about large-scale reduction OF
arms and armed forces in the near future,
or to remove from the arsenals Of the
world A-weapons, the H-bomb and other
instruments Of mass destruction. How
ever, leaving aside the question OF an
early cut in ornaments, the Soviet Union
may reply affirmatively to President
Eisenhower's proposal for exchanging
complete blueprints" of military estab-
lishments and creating system OF UNI
restricted reciprocal aerial inspection to
guard against the danger Of sudden sur
prise attack. And certainly, given such
Russian response, the U. N. should be
able to promote encouraging progress in
this field while at the same time adj
vancing the atoms-for-pea program.
Apart from disarmament, other con-
tentious issues facing the General Assem-
bly, include the perennial one Of Red
China's effort to gain admission into the
U. NJ The Soviet delegation-headed by
Foreign Minister Molotov-presumably
will argue again In favor of PeipingS
position, but our country's continuing
opposition virtually insures that no favor
able action will be taken. Additional
applicants for membership may fare
better, but the Mao Tze-tung regime will
almost certainly still ind the doors shut
against 1t, though perhaps not so tightly
as heretofore. Finally, besides the de-
bate that this may entail, the Donation
Assembly may run into some heated
sessions-unless prior agreements can be
reached outside the U. Mover such
matters as the Dutch Indonesian dispute
regarding West New Guinea, Frances
North African troubles and the grave
Cyprus controversy involving Greece,
Turkey and Britain.
Nevertheless, despite the explosive
nature of some of these issues, the AS
sembly is beginning its deliberations in
more cheerful mood than it has expert
enced in long time. It's new session, as
Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold
has said, will constitute "a real test" Of
the so-called Geneva spirit" but nobody
should be disappointed II the progress
1t makes is mot very far and fast" As
in the past, 1t is likely to exercise whole
some influence on international events,
but 1t can perform no miracles. The
most to be expected of 1t is that 1t will
make a little more Roadway toward a
decent peace, and If that is all that it
does, the world will still have reason to
be thankful for 1t.