| Show Free Frei Information Lifeline of UJ JL U. U QI W World ol ld C Council Will Stand Or Fall on Public Opinion By News Nert's Analyst and Commentator WASHINGTON Here Here are some more notes from a reporters reporter'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 or orthe the United Nations I think I recognized some of you It was hard to get in in I because so many nations felt this session was so important that they brought much larger staffs than ever before These extra workers I couldn't sit in the seats reserved for delegates nor the news vs peoples people's so they were given scats seats ordinarily handed out to the public t 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 impression im im- im- im did you get Your impression is highly important important important tant as Ill I'll try to point out later There was vas and is this danger which Trygve Lie secretary general general general gen gen- eral of the United Unit ed N Nations a t ion s P pointed elated out in a as fY j s speech P pee e e c h which stirred a all 11 the delegates who heard it and you too I imagine if A t 3 1 you were listening listening listen listen- ing when he summarized summarized summarized sum sum- it afterward afterward after after- r ward over over thet the t 4 ABC network net Lie said 44 the the peoples of the world and andaS Baukhage m man a n y governments governments govern govern- ments aS aSare well are shocked frightened and discouraged discouraged discouraged dis dis- 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 Nat ons was born A colleague of mine a most restrained restrained restrained re re- re- re strained and thoughtful commentator tor Pauline Frederick with considerable considerable considerable con con- experience here and abroad told me something which is worth repeating She was interviewing interview interview- ing Eleanor Roosevelt at a luncheon at Hyde Park Whatever you m may y think of Mrs Roosevelt's domestic pol politics tics you must know in what high regard she is held as a member of the American delegation to the United Nations My colleague asked her if her heart weren't heavy over the world situation today I haven't ha her exact words here 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 of the delegates have said namely namely namely name name- ly that faulty and ineffective as the United Nations may be it is far better than nothing How Bow 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- re- re marked in a recent editorial it cannot be stressed too often that the struggle brought to a head in inthis 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 I is the the determination of the United Nations that means the member nations to survive S One strange phenomenon which appears to persons not too well acquainted with the ways of 0 such gatherings is is the friendly and entirely normal manner in which the delegates to the tiie United Nations who icho attack each other on the rostrum consort in the corridors and lounges provided in the two buildings which now temporarily house home the executive council and the general assembly assembly assembly assem assem- bly respectively That's nothing new net to 10 people who have covered congress Dispensing of News Is s Vital to U. U N. N I Is The longer I serve covering these meetings the more I realize that the most important of all the groups not excluding the delegates themselves are those which serve serveto to dispense the news and information information information tion concerning the United Nations It would be impossible of course for enough people to visit the sessions to affect public public public pub pub- lic opinion greatly But many of the people who do come go back backwith backwith backwith with a message which stirs great interest in the organization tion in in their communities Proof of ol this interest was contained in m the report of the secretary general Lie when he lie said that information had been sent out and other steps taken in cooperation cooperation cooperation cooper cooper- wi with h a thousand meetings in m the past year But more important than anything anything anything any any- thing else are the actual reports o of press Dress ress and radio direct from one or ore orthe orthe the e other of the two headquarters it r as a result of the many inter- inter news with members of the perms perm alent a- a lent secretariat Here is what they've done wit wi with If adio alone During the general assembly the radio division of the department department department depart depart- ment of public information will wilt broadcast for 12 hours a day while visiting radio commentators tors using facilities leased by bythe bythe bythe the United Nations a will cover the debates for listeners in 16 countries The French Spanish Chinese and Russian sections of the radio division division division divi divi- sion also are preparing to broadcast adaptations of one of the U. U N 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 relayed re re- re- re because of the high quality of reception are arc 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- 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 of the agencies distributing information information information in in- formation concerning the topics discussed discussed discussed dis 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 7 P r t 3 TRYGVE LIE ff U. 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 tele-communications tele 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 grandiose grandiose gran 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 I poverty and there is a strong move I to cut expenses A part of the tele telecommunications plan was a radio network which would dispense objective world news for all the world To show you how well welt the meagre efforts along those lines already have succeeded I was 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 Cor items issued by the United Nations Nations Nations Na Na- because they are so fair so 50 objective that no one could accuse accuse them of containing propaganda propaganda propaganda prop prop- for any anyone one nation The men on the staff of the United Nations are not all perfect There are 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 world-wide world viewpoint viewpoint viewpoint view view- point an attitude whose whole policy policy policy pol pol- pol- pol icy is bas based d on world understanding and the perpetuation of peace |
