The Atlantic Pact And United Nations

Chronicle (Levin), 26 March 1949, Page 4

The Atlantic Pact And United Nations

There were ^ohahs who said that Uhited Natiohs ha'd fihishfed and that the Atlantip Pact had taken its place, rehiatkbd the United Nations A&sobiatidn's B'dminion organiser» . Mr. L. H. B.. Gordon/ when speaking at a inoeting of the Levin branch last night. He was explaining t'o th'e large gatherifig the meaning of the pact. "However, I am quite eertain that wnen more is knowh about it, the pact will be accepted with as much enthdsiasm as ihe children'? appeal was accepted last year," he con- | tihued. ■, j it a potentially aggressive Pact? To answer that we havfe first to look at the Russian viewpoiht.j Wfe ih the Ehglish speaking democracibs folibw a life wher'e we trSasure what we call freedom. We •dbn't like being pushed around.and we don't like ariy dbetrine pushed down bur throats. By our example and our form of Governmenc — which We can change if we don't. like it — we should try and enlighten those pebple who don't know about ih . "The Russians are not war.mongering . people, but they are fanaties. They are nbt fanatical in the way the Nazis were, but believe not only that Communism is the' best fprm of government, but that it is the only form." The speaker went on to tell h'ow in meetings of tne United Nations all countrifes but Russia had be'eh able to agree, and so the pact of defenCS had been dra/yn up. Reading from the United Nations Charter, Mr. Gordon quotqd the first article, "to maintain international pfeace 4nd security . . . to take effecr tive coll'ective measures • for the prevention and removal of. threats to peace and for the suppressibh •of acts of aggression . . ." Failure to get agreement on some fbfm of collective measures had resulted in the Atlahtic Pact coming about. It was a pact whereby nations would go to war if one of its members was attackted. "it is no good kidding ourselves that it is not aimed at Russia," he said. "The United Nations is not a 'peace at any price' organisation." • Article 52 of the charter read: "Nothing in the charter precludes the existenee of other pacts, providing their activities are consistent with the purposes and pririciples of- United Nations." . Hfe thought that was a fair coyer pf the pact, comihented the speaker. In cohelusioh, Mr .Gordon dealt with the : dahgferous -'bpiniori that the Urilted - Nations -had' -'had, •%" He pointed -dut tiia$ the: organisa- : tion-was-hand JngvallJSQrtSibf othei ' aspects cof" intbfihatibila?l ^securityj sttch aS food ahd agrietiltural supplies and so on. He emphasiseQ the f act that New Zealand's opiniob in .World matters was not only highly valued, but had considerable importanee placed upon it. Mr. Gordon was ihtro'du'ced tc the gathering by the president oi j:he branch, Mr. % R, Winkler wht extended a warm welcome to him. At the -.conclusion-; manyiquestioiis wfeTbr%Sk^ -ki?d¥ answered|5by the speaker. 4 .He; was suitably thankec by Mr. Iviiikiei." W •: