Uno no Thorn says Thorn

U.N.O. had not failed. It was on a sounder basis than the League of Nations. There were conflicts between East and West, but some of these had been solved. U.N.O. was a vital factor in the peace of the world. Its contributions through UNESCO,.. UNICEF, and the rest of the "Alpha-betomania" were forming a basis for international peace. This was the theme of the Ex-High Commissioner and U.N.O. delegate, Mr. Thorn, in his address to the Political Science Society in March 29.

Mr. Thom said it was wrong to suggest that U.N.O. should confine its activities to only those scheres in which it had been successful. The various disputes it had attempted to deal with were threats to world peace. Disputes between nations only came before U.N.O. when ordinary diplomatic means had failed. U.N.O. must intervene when world peace was threatened—this was the basic reason for U.N.O.'s existence. It was preferable to sling abuse at a conference table, rather than atom bombs on a battle field.

A definite desire among delegates to reach an understanding and make U.N.O. work smoothly existed; but the bugbear of National Sovereignty was the underlying cause of the failure to find a solution in most cases.

Mr. Thom dealt at some length with UNESCO and its policy successes and failures. There had been serious differences between East and West, sometimes Mr. Thorn thought the Russian attitude wrong, sometimes he thought it correct The Russians had tried successfully to prevent UNESCO from becoming a "milch cow." At first this attitude had been opposed, but when both parties to the difference showed a spirit of compromise, a very successful solution was arrived at. It was realised that poverty and disease were a threat to world peace and this determined the attitude of both parties.

U.N.O. has become a living reality to millions of people. It is founded in a more democratic spirit than the League of Nations and is therefore not just a meeting of professional diplomats, but a meeting of men and women wanting to help solve world problems. In the social contacts and informal discussions, one found the true qualities of the delegates. In concluding Mr. Thom said he could see no solution in his time, but he had hopes for the future world. Peace and U.N.O. had given him these hopes.