United Nations Handicaps
In transmitting to Congress on Monday the Secretary of State's report on the activities of the United Nations in the preceding year President Truman in a covering letter added some judicious comments on the report of the international organisation to date. The report itself is necessarily a depressing document devoted mainly to recording the deadlocks created by the Soviet Govern- . ment's consistent attitude. On that subject the President observes that " in the presence of this wilful flouting by the Soviet Govern- ment of the obligations assumed by it under the Charter, the United Nations has taken the common-sense attitude of proceeding with its business as usual." Unfortunately to proceed with business as usual is only in a limited degree possible. Part of the United Nations' usual business is the admission of new members, but fully-qualified States like Ceylon, Portugal, Italy and several others are excluded because Russia votes against them. A convention on the control of atomic energy is urgently needed, but, as the State Department report recalls, the Soviet Government insisted on rejecting a plan which 49 nations had approved and put forward instead proposals which most of the 49 believed totally inadequate. It is part of the United Nations' usual business to effect a reduction of arma- ments, but when for that purpose a reduction of the forces of the permanent members of the Security Council was proposed the Soviet Government last year vetoed the taking of a census of armaments, and any international verification of the reports which each nation sent in. At present the Soviet Government refuses to co-operate with any organ of the United Nations, however strictly technical and non-political, if a Chinese representative sits on it ; there are grounds for its protest, but none for the form the protest takes. Business is far from proceeding as usual.
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