The people's voice., 1958-12-19

would not be given Dy In1S country
to a Communist nation, no other poll
tical criterion was applied. This sup
ported the assertion of Justice Doug
las that feudal regimes and dictator
ships did not disqualify from receiving
United States economic and technica
assistance.
Arthur Goldschmidt, director of the
program division, UN Technical AS
sistance Administration, outlined the
work of economic and social rehabili-
tation being done by the United Ma
tions. He pointed out, however, that
funds available for this work had
been declining in recent years, largely
because many of the interested in
dustrial nations preferred to work
out their own bi-lateral arrangements
for giving foreign aid.
1t remained for Philip Click, former
general counsel of the Technical Co.
operation Administration, to tear
aside the veil of reticence and deliver
devastating criticism of the present
conduct of foreign aid activities.
INEFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION
at is unfortunate" he declared,
chat no one ever said publicly what
we say to ourselves privately. The
UN Technical Assistance Program is
suffering from two ingrained self
imposed hobbies, which are getting
worse, rather than better-and we
might as well face up to them.
"One, it has an unwieldy admins
trative structure-baffling and frus-
trating. No one is happy with it; but
those working with it fear that at
tempts to reform it will make it still
less satisfactory.
1.-TWO, is the absence of adequate
grant money and local currency loan
funds.
"Out of the combination of these
two comes third difficulty. 1t is al
most impossible to use this instrument
effectively because of the joint as
of responsibility of various
UN agencies for joint operations. This
leaves authority to issue an order with
no one. Advisory mechanisms will
never spark off adequate economic
development in any country"
Mr.. Click said that with the organi- |
zation of the Atomic Energy Agency
of the UN there were now nine UN
groups engaged in foreign aid, each |
with it's own staff and policies "but
no directing head-not even the Di-
rector General" In addition there are
four "co-ordinating" agencies, but
none with power to decide what is
% be done.
INSPIRATION LACKING
The general impression from the
conference gained by
7our reporter was that tremendous
of well-intentioned energy is
'eing exerted by people throughout
he free-world to assist underdevel-
ped regions lift themselves by their
,ootstraps.
But the work is piecemeal, unco-
rdinated, and not directed toward
'oals likely to generate mass inspira-
ion on the part of submerged popula-
ions to work things out for them
elves.
This is partly because the aid
that is given too often is tied up
with the desire to support existing
economic and social patterns ac-
ceptable to the donors. 1t seems to
lack political imagination which
would give the recipients of aid a
feeling that they were throwing off
the yoke of ancient inhibitions, and
give a new hopefulness for national
regeneration.
Meantime, the principal drive of the
communists appears to be to stir
evolt of the masses against the tyran-
les of the past. The extent to which
ID tyrannies are exchanged for new
not too we'll documented.
1t seems clear that unless new
'rces are brought to operate. that
e Communist world will have fairly
ear going in taking over one area
ter another-not by external ag-
ession, but through internal re-
lliOn VI