Show S NS N'S THE UNITED NATIONS TODAY Wellesley Hills Mass Mass- Mass Since its founding nearly 23 years ago the United Nations has been a controversial force In our our country Its promoters bombard us with propaganda stressing its achievements and avoiding ml mention of its short short- shortcomings comin comings s Its foes are equally articulate and Insistent in branding it Ineffectual Limiting Nuclear Weapons We dont don't know for sure whether the UN has prevented World War III we only know that so far we have been spared such a holocaust We do know however that the UN is making Its impact on relations between governments The discussions in inthe inthe the General Assembly and in inthe inthe the SEcurity Council of the UN UNare UNare are open for all the world to hear as Is the debate in our own Congress And in the course of these discussions gov gov- governments still sadly estranged from one another do cafe cate via their representatives As a result of this dialog last month the United Nations Gen Gen- General eral Assembly adopted the US Soviet draft treaty for the non proliferation of nuclear weapons By a 95 to 95 to 4 vote veto 21 abstentions the nations agreed to prohibit nuclear powers from distributing nuclear weapons or knowledge e to others They also agreed to bar powers from building atomic weapons In addition the treaty for a full exchange of information looking toward wid er utilization of nuclear energy for far peaceful purposes Obstacles To Peace Of course the nuclear treaty Is not yet operative It must still be signed and ratified by bythe bythe the US Britain and the Sov let Union as well as by some two two score score countries But It rEpresents a step toward peace and good will which ably could not have been taken if there had been no UN to sponsor and encourage the nee necessary essary dialog There are many obstacles to peace neace The conflicting aspirations of more than a hundred nations the tho ancient rival rles ries between countries within a given Iven region the differing approaches of the the haves have and thc the economic and social problEms that confront them md and final final- finally ly the deep cleavages stemming from racial cultural and language disparity Many Plus Factors But there are arc plus factors too but the least of which is the universal yearning for peace The UN has not found the key to pence peace In the Middle 1 East In- In Indeed In deed it cannot fully enforce the fire cease It ordered It has not resolved the Korean Impasse Nor have the parties to the Vietnam conflict permitted it to come to grips with the situa lion there However the UN is still a force for peace and progress in today's world So long as there Is a General Assembly and a Security Council there Is reason for optimism Also there are many good things which the UN UNIs UNis Is doing upon which practically all nations are In basic agree mend menh These Include the champ of human rights the conquest of disease the ex change of information on food and and agriculture the promotion of and cultural goals the fostering of tariff and trade agreements the encouragement of monetary stability and closer international al operation cooperation In the fields of aviation postal and telecom services Is It Worth The Cost Many critics of the UN com com- complain plain that it costs too We much and isn't worth it it They say too that the UN provides at our expense a place where con petty Intrigue and pro flourish The truth is that the basic UN budget is less than million a year actually a trifling sum when compared with the US outgo for Vietnam alone Of course we also spend several million dollars In contributions to UN related agencies such as UNESCO UNICEF GATT the World Bank and the Monetary Fund By and large It Is a sound sound the future of the world and in our own future paying rich returns in dollars donars and otherwise Peace still eludes us but we cannot af af- af afford ford to abandon our search for forit forit it |