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W World ol ld Council Will Stand Or Fall on on o Public Opinion By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator W WASHINGTON Here ASHING lON Here Here are are some more notes from a reporters reporter's reporters reporter's reporters reporter's re re- re- re porters porter's notebook of course reporters dont don't really carry notebooks they notebooks they write on whatever is handy this handy this is a menu at the United Nations Some of the people who are reading this column attended sessions of the United Nations I think I recognized some of you It was hard to get In because so many nations felt this session was so important that they brought much larger staffs than ever before These extra workers couldn't sit in the seats reserved for delegates nor the news peoples people's so they were given scats seats ordinarily handed out to the public For those of you who stayed home and listened to the radio or read the reports in the paper well paper well what impression impression im im- impression did you get Your impression Is highly important important tant as Ill I'll try to point out later There was and is this danger which Trygve Lie secretary general gen eral of the Units United United Unit Unit- s ed N Nations a t Ion s pointed out in a as s speech pee c h which stirred all the delegates tes who heard it and you too I imagine if you ou were listening listening listening listen listen- ing when he summarized summarized summarized sum sum- it afterward afterward afterward after after- ward over the ABC network Lie said the peoples of the world and Baukhage man many Y governments governments govern govern- ments as well are shocked frightened and discouraged discouraged dis dIs- to find that those same nations which created the United Nations so openly disagree He called for a rebirth of the San Francisco spirit the spirit which we all felt in those hopeful days when the United Nations was born A colleague of mine a most restrained restrained re reo re- re strained and thoughtful commentator tor Pauline Frederick with considerable con experience here and abroad told me something which is worth repealing repeating She was interview interviewIng interviewIng Ing Eleanor Roosevelt at a luncheon at al Hyde Park Whatever you may think ol oj Mrs Roosevelt's Roose domestic politics you must know in what high regard she is held as a member of the American delegation to the United Nations My Aly colleague asked her if her heart beart weren't heavy over the world situation today I 1 haven't her exact words here bere but Mrs Roosevelt replied in the nega nega- tive She said we had expected too much too soon from the United United United Unit Unit- ed Nations And then she went on onto onto onto to point out what so many mangy of the delegates have said namely namely namely name name- ly that faulty and ineffective as the United Nations may be It U is far better than nothing How flow many times have I heard that from even the most cynical of the reporters and observers here As the New York Times remarked remarked remarked re re- marked in a recent editorial it cannot be stressed too often that the struggle brought to a bead head in inthis inthis this session of the general assembly is not against the Soviet Union but FOR the United Nations The most striking thing the editorial added is the determination of the United Nations that means the member nations to survive One Olle strange phenomenon which appears appears appears ap ap- ap- ap pears to persons not too well ell acquainted the ways of oJ such gatherings is the friendly and entirely normal manner in which the delegates to the United Nations Na lions who attack attach each other on all the t rostrum rostrum ros trum consort in the tile corridors and lounges provided ut m I the two buildings which now temporarily house the exec exec- utne unee council and the general assembly respectively That's nothing new to people people peo pea pie who have covered congress Dispersing Dispensing of News la ID Vital to U. U N. N The longer I serve covering these meetings the more 1 I realize that the most Important of all ali the groups not excluding the delegates themselves are those which serve serveto serveto serveto to dispense the news and information information tion concerning the United Nations It would be impossible of ot course for enough people to visit the sessions to affect public public pub pub- lic lie opinion greatly But nut many of the people who do come go back backwith backwith backwith with a message which stirs great interest in la the organization tion Uon In their communities Proof of this interest was contained In the report of the secretary general Lie when he said that information had been sent out nd nd other steps taken in cooperation cooper cooper- tion with a thousand meetings 1 In the past year But more more Important than anything any any- tl thing ng else are the actual reports of press and radio direct from one or orthe orthe orthe the other of the two headquarters or as a result of the many Interviews interviews Inter inter- views with members of th the permanent permanent permanent perma perma- nent secretariat Here is wh what what t they've done with radio alone During the general assembly the radio division of the department department department depart depart- ment of or public Information will broadcast for 12 hours a da day white while visiting radio commentators tors using facilities leased by the United Nations will cover the debates for listeners In 16 IS countries The French Spanish Chinese and Russian sections of the radio division division divi divi- division sion also are preparing to broadcast adaptations of one of the U. U N N. programs programs programs pro pro- grams which will be offered in transcription to stations unable to relay the original broadcast The two services most widely relayed relayed re re- re- re laed because of the high quality of reception are those in Spanish to Latin America and in Chinese The programs all carry the latest news on work of the assembly and other United Nations bodies interviews interviews interviews inter inter- views with delegates background talks recorded excerpts from speeches in debate and short fea fea- tures As the bickering and obstructionism obstruction obstruction- ism increased at the current session and it became clear that confidence in the United Nations was being undermined the importance of the work t of Hof f the agencies distributing information information information in in- formation concerning the topics discussed discussed dis dis- dis cussed by the general assembly became became became be be- came more and more evident The reason was this It became clear cleard d k oF r rN N Z TRYGVE LIE It San Sail Francisco spirit that under the present structure of the United Nations where a unanimous unanimous unanimous agreement on the part of the major powers before major steps could be taken is required the only force behind the whole idea is the force of public opinion As this is being written the question question question ques ques- tion of the report of a committee on communications tele-communications is being dis dis- dis- dis cussed The plans envisioned by the themen themen themen men on the United Nations who realize the importance of strengthening strengthening strengthening strength strength- ening the opinion-forming opinion force of the organization are not too grandiose gran to be practical but they do involve involve involve in in- volve expenses which make their completion uncertain Nations of the world are all feeling the pinch of poverty and there is a strong move to cut expenses A part of of the telecommunications tele lele plan was a radio network ork which would dispense objective world news for all aU the world To show you oU how well the meagre efforts along those lines already have ha succeeded I was vas told by bythe bythe bythe the radio liaison division that even the Russian reporters who as you know work for newspapers newspapers newspapers news news- papers which are under a strict censorship which permit no news which doesn't suit their needs have begun to ask for items items' issued by the United Nations Nations Nations Na Na- because they are so fair so objective that no one could accuse them of containing g propaganda prop prop- propaganda for any anyone one nation The men on the staff of the United Nations are not all perfect There are ate a number of weak sisters But Buton Buton Buton on the whole it is surprising to see how the majority of them has been able to develop a worldwide world viewpoint viewpoint view view- point an attitude whose whole policy policy pol pol- icy is based on world understanding and the perpetuation of peace |