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Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 12, No. 3, April 6th, 1949.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus

Mr. Talboys looking like the disciple of the U.S.A. he confesses himself to be, stated that the United Nations is no more capable of dealing with aggression than was the League of Nations. He quoted article [unclear: il] of the U.N. Charter which, he said, made allowance for regional military alliances such as the Atlantic Pact. The U.S. was like Santa Claus, assisted by a few G.I.'s whose main interest was a few young women with no principles, trying to help her poor friends in Europe and and thus help peace throughout the world. The audience was amused.

Mr. Milburn, with sesquipedalian polysyllables, then proceeded to oppose the motion. The Atlantic Pact, as the affirmative had said, was aimed at the U.S.S.R.. which, as one of the countries most devastated by the war, and as one which has not the monopoly of atomic power, is not likely to want to start a war. "The USA's aim Is peace." said a later speakers and "The largest place possible," retorted Milburn.

Of the speakers from the floor, those who supported the motion seemed mainly concerned with the supposed Communist plan to dominate world from Moscow. They all made the same points in a repetitive manner. Among them. Mr. Curtin created a diversion by mounting the steps to address the meeting and Mr. Cook carried Mr. Bollinger's vegetable illusion further by suggesting that the Western Powers "knew their onions" in joining forces to oppose the march of the Eastern barbarians on Western civilisation.

New arguments were introduced by some of the speakers for the negative. Mr. Gunn. "the gentleman with the politically significant hair" 'Jermyn' deprecated this idea of all the world being for or against the Soviet Union. Alliances such as the Atlantic Pact are based on the false premise that if you want peace you prepare for war, and it' is the job of the military leaders to postulate the enemy, in this case the U.S.S.R.. in order to create the alliance. The sooner we realise that we will not prevent war by preparing for it, the sooner peace will be a possibility. Mr. K. O'Brien claimed that the Atlantic Pact was a pact for mutual assistance against Eastern Europe. As the issues dividing the world are fundamental, the pact is a step towards neither peace nor war. Mr. Evison pointed out that the only countries carrying out aggressive campaigns since the end of the war were all signatories to the pact:—U.S.A. in Greece and China. France in Indo-China, the Netherlands in Indonesia and Great Britain in Malaya.

The affirmative took it for granted that the United Nations was already a defunct body, and working from that idea, put their faith in the brainchild of the U.S.A. The negative, supported by the meeting, re-affirmed the conviction that the only hope for peace—a lasting peace—lies in a full support for the United Nations.