A.—s

The ad hoc Committee of the Assembly gave careful consideration to the Bruce report, and many delegates who took part in the discussion made some valuable suggestions, which will be made available to the Central Committee once it is set tup. The ad, hoc Committee drafted a resolution in the following terms, and this was passed by the Assembly on the morning of the 14th December:— " The Assembly— " 1. Approves the report on the Development of International Co-operation in Economic and Social Affairs submitted by the Special Committee set up by the Council on May 23rd, 1939, and the proposals contained therein, and "2. While agreeing with the report that the projjosals must be regarded only as a first step in the adaptation of the existing machinery of international economic and social collaboration to the changing conditions of the world, " 3. Considers that the present condition of the world renders it all the more necessary that the economic and social work of the League, as defined in the report,* should continue on as broad a basis as possible, and " 4. Requests the Bureau to take the most appropriate steps for setting up the Central Committee proposed in the report to unify the economic and social work of the League and perform the other functions indicated in the abovementioned report, co-ordinating its work where necessary with that of the International Labour Office, which retains its present autonomy and competence; and " 5. Hopes that the Central Committee will proceed as rapidly as possible with the study of the conditions under which all States desiring to do so may participate in the work of the League relating to economic and social questions, t Appeal of the Finnish Government. This, the question which had caused the convocation of the Assembly, was raised at the second meeting on the afternoon of the 11th December. The President, in introducing it, briefly referred to the action of the Council in submitting the appeal to the Assembly, and I will now take up the matter from the point at which I left it at the early stage of this report. There are a number of documents, including the written statements submitted to the Assembly by representatives of various countries, but here it is necessary to draw your attention to two papers only—A. 32, 1939, VII (the text of the Finnish appeal, telegrams from the Finnish Government to the Secretary-General, a telegram from the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and a statement dated the 7th December made by the Finnish Government) ; and A. 33, 1939, VII, containing memoranda and correspondence relating to negotiations between the Governments of Finland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which preceded the invasion of Finland on the 30th November. The Finnish case is set forth in the statement dated 7th December and the aide-memoire transmitted to the Secretary-General of the League on the 9th December (Documents A. 32 and A. 33 respectively). Under Article 15 of the Covenant, which had been invoked by Finland, the parties to a dispute are required to communicate to the Secretary-General " a statement of their case, with all the relevant facts and papers." But from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics no statement was received, and the only information at the disposal of the Assembly regarding the attitude of that country is contained in M. Molotov's telegram of the sth December. On the surface that attitude appeared to be a simple one—that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was not at war with Finland, nor did it threaten the Finnish nation with war, since the Soviet Union had signed on the 2nd December with the Democratic Republic of Finland a Pact of Assistance and Friendship which had settled all questions which the Soviet Government had fruitlessly discussed with the former Finnish Government now divested of its power. Further, the new Kuusinen Government had requested the Soviet Government to lend its assistance in clearing up a situation created in Finland by its former rulers. This process of reasoning resulted not only in no statement of the Russian case, but in a refusal by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to be represented at sessions of the Council and of the Assembly which had been convoked. The representative of Finland was M. Hoisti, and on the invitation of the President he addressed the Assembly. His statement was largely a resume of the documents already submitted by the Finnish Government. At the conclusion of M. Holsti's speech the President announced that the General Committee of the Assembly proposed adjournment of the discussion and the creation of a special committee to consider the Finnish appeal, and suggested that the special Committee consist of the following: Bolivia, United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Thailand, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It was, however, to be understood that any other delegations which wished to take part in the Committee's discussions would be free to come to the Committee and to do so. The Assembly agreed.

* See particularly page 6 of the Report on the Development of International Co-operation in Economic and Social Affairs (Doc. A. 23, 1939). t Document A. 47, 1.939.

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