SI'IITHFlELD HIGH TIMES
"THE aCHIEVH^IENTS Mi) THE PROSPECTS
OF THE UNITED NATIONS”
Lately,there has been much talk
in the United States concerning the value
of the United Nations, People are asking,
"VJhat good is the U,N. anyway?"''Is it
worth saving?” ”How is it making strides
for peace, if none of the nations can
reach an agreement?” "What are the odds
for it attaining and maintaining peace?
"Should the U. S. continue to support
it? Or should we withdraw from it?»
Well, don't we have disagreements
in our families? Don’t our.ohurches
have problems to which not everyone sees
the saine solution? Even in Smithfield,
do we all agree on every town or county
issue? Of course we don’t. So how can
We e:jq3ect a family of 104 nations to do
Something even we find Imrd to do right
in our own community!
So, the United Nations is not
perfect, V\niat is? But far outweighing
its imperfections is the fact that the
hnited Nations is performing some tasks
of major importance. What wars mi^t
have flared up in the last few years if
it had not been for the U. N,? The Suez
hegion, Lebanon, Vietnam, Cuba, — in
all these places a terrifying third
World war could tave grownj but there
Was the United Nations to turn to, and,
for the most part, an agreem-cnt was
Worked out — only temporary in some
instances, but nevertheless, the problem
did ease — did not develop into w^.
The main struggle at present is
still the Cold War -- the istruggle
Between East and Westj freedom and
Uommunism, The major battleground be
tween these two is in the newly-
developing African-Asian n:" tions
those backward countries which just
I'ecently have b ecome independent, as
Algeria, and a,re faced with the problem
of governing themselves. Millions of the
People under these new governments are
living in a poverty that we find hard to
comprehend. In the last few years.
Communism has offered these people rapid
‘Modernization; and, as in Red China,
their conditions have improved some.
These people still have a high degree
cf ignorance, however, and not know
that #iile th^ are being brought out
of poverty, they are at the same time
being put under oppression — that is,
they are becoming slaves for the ooviet
Union,
We want these people to live in
freedom as we do. Since the time our
government was formed, many, many
changes have affected the world it is
smaller, and the economy of one nation
depends on the economy of every other
nation. Because of these developments,
we cannot expect the new countries to^
have a government just like ours. It is
not reasonable, but it is reasonable
to want them to have freedom. We don t
offer these people the kind of help the
Communists do. We believe it is better
for a nation to develop its own resourees
and produce for its own people. They
need help to get started, though, and
this is where the problem really comes
in. Giving these people money and roads
and hospitals and schools is not enough
we must show them hcM freedom will telp
then develop themselves. The Coimuniste
vrho are sent to vrork in developing nations
are convinced that Communism offers
the best way of life possible, They
influencing tte poDple. If we want ^ to
win out over Communism, we must raise
our prestige in the rest of the^world .
Now, even though we have billions
of dollars i^rorth of surplus food, we^
are holding an embargo on sales or gifts
to the mainland of China, Are we ^ing^
to continue to ignore the human situation
there? Pearl Luck has said it is obvious
that ’’serious undernourishment is reach
ing the point where any active revolt
against the regime cannot be expected;
that semi-starvation is an ancient
weapon of arbitrary government. ’’ The
tiiiK: has come for AiiBrican tradition
and principle to act. We can’t give the
Chinese relief under Communist govern
ment, but we can sell them this food,
with the understanding that the food
is not resold to other countries, and
that the Chinese people know it comes
from America,!
The effect would strongly contra
dict the Communist propaganda against
us. Indeed, it would have a world wide
effect, for in the event we are com
pelled to resume nuclear testing, and
it looks as if we must, the fact that