YouSaid · the spoken record

TRUJILLO

lines on the record: 205
first: 1952-09-24
most recent: 1957-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Maza’s election to this exalted office is also a singular honour for the group of Latin American States which nominated him and supported his candidacy, and a sure guarantee of the wisdom impartiality and efficiency with which lie will preside over the deliberations of the most important assembly in the world. 2. I cannot forget, of course, that we owe sincere and well-deserved congratulations to Mr. van Kleffens of the Netherlands delegation for having presided over the General Assembly’s ninth session with remarkable talent and quiet energy, as was to be expected in view of his rich experience and his wide knowledge of international problems. 3.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“1. My first words are addressed to Mr. Maza, the leader of the Chilean delegation, in recognition of the high honour conferred on him and his most worthy country by his election as President of the tenth session of the 'General Assembly. His election is a tribute to the outstanding position of the Republic of Chile in the world of democracy, and is an acknowledgment of the esteem in which the world holds a country which is truly democratic; at the same time, it is a tribute to his own great qualities and the outstanding services he has rendered to the United Nations from the day it was founded. Mr.”
1955-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 10 (1955)
“The Soviet Union delegation’s support of the inclusion of the United States proposal on the agenda has met with widespread enthusiasm in international public opinion and there is hope that for once the two great Powers will act in agreement and that man may be able to use a force which in the past was thought to be God’s alone: the power to transform matter and to release the gigantic forces of the atom. President Eisenhower’s idea has met with a most auspicious reception. We shall also support the resolution to be proposed on this subject, a milestone in the realization of peace which will still cause so much anxiety and sorrow to those who have the honour and the heavy responsibility of guiding the destiny of mankind.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Nevertheless, realizing the part played by the small Powers in world affairs, my Government does not believe it would be proper for it to adopt extreme attitudes wholly out of keeping with its true capacities. It will not associate itself with or support any proposal without previously analysing it first in the light of its own interests, and secondly in the light of those which are involved in regional and world problems. Its attitude will therefore be one of constant defence of the moral and legal principles which are the only strength of the weak. 60. In the General Committee my delegation supported the item proposed by the United States delegation concerning the development of the peaceful and scientific uses of atomic energy.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We hope that there will be no more such negative decisions by the Council, lest the prestige of the Organization suffer and one of the fundamental objects of the Charter — protection against attack — become illusory or come too late. 59. My Government considers that the political system and internal structure of a State are by contrast with some other matters I have mentioned — questions exclusively within its domestic jurisdiction in which no intervention by a foreign Power should be tolerated. It recognizes of course the possibility that in a world of interdependent States, certain agreements should be worked out for warding off common dangers, such as the spread of Communist imperialism.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The precedent established by the Security Council in the case of Guatemala is extremely dangerous inasmuch as it implies distorted interpretations of the Charter and in a way closes its doors to an American State applying to the Security Council for assistance when it feels that its case should be heard by that body. We are members and staunch supporters of the Organization of American States, but we cannot by any means agree that it has exclusive jurisdiction in a dispute such as the one I have just mentioned. My Government took a firm and fundamental position on this question and informed the Security Council accordingly in an official communication [3/3255].”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The representative of Uruguay said in his statement [481st meeting] that the doors of the United Nations should be kept open to any legitimate complaint on the part of its Member States. And in his annual report on the work of the Organization [A/2663, p. xi], the Secretary-General says: “. . . the importance of regional arrangements in the maintenance of peace is fully recognized in the Charter and the appropriate use of such arrangements is encouraged. But in those cases where resort to such arrangements is chosen in the first instance, that choice should not be permitted to cast any doubt on the ultimate responsibility of the United Nations. Similarly, a policy giving full scope to the proper role of regional agencies can and should at the same time fully preserve the right of a Member nation to a hearing under the Charter.” 58.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“A very desirable change in systems and methods of work is gradually taking place and, while producing appreciable savings in the expenditure of the United Nations, is at the same time resulting in more efficient and technically more perfect work without that flood of documentation, much of it unnecessary, which used to deluge the offices of delegations and Foreign Ministries. The personnel policy is further evidence of the wisdom, judgment and energy of the Secretary-General and will restore confidence in the devoted staff of the United Nations. The presence of the Secretary-General at the principal debates of the Economic and Social Council was commented upon favourably, and he was informed that his attendance had set a very useful precedent for the Council and for the Secretariat which should not be abandoned. 57.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“This defines in a few words my country’s view of the law relating to these natural resources, formerly unknown and exploited by persons devoid of technical knowledge as a result of whose activities many species of great value in the international market have been threatened with extinction. Chile, Peru and Ecuador are proceeding in full agreement to defend their interests and are confident that the rights on which they rely will be respected within and outside our continent. 56. My delegation wishes warmly to congratulate the Secretary-General on the work he has accomplished in the reorganization of the Secretariat and the commissions and for the suggestions he submitted on this same subject to the Economic and Social Council at its last two sessions.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The President of the Republic of Ecuador stated recently in a Press conference held at Quito: “Chile, Peru and Ecuador are aware of the importance of this natural resource and the advantages offered by its rational exploitation. For purposes of military defence, the European nations arbitrarily determined the limits which suited them. For the economic defence of the wealth of the sea, the South American nations are fully entitled to fix suitable limits in the light of experience, without prejudice to the freedom of the seas of other innocent purposes.” 55.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“My delegation will attach most importance to proposals leading to economic co-operation, the improvement of standards of living and, in general, the development of our countries. The objects of this cooperation are not unilateral advantages, nor of course generous and free gifts, but mutual benefits; we want it to be a business transaction which will return the amount invested plus higher profits than those earned by capital in the developed countries. 54. We have already said [478th meeting], during the discussion of the agenda for this session, that one of our greatest assets is in the territorial sea, in the continental shelf and the land underlying this shelf which is the continuation under the sea of the national territory.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We small Powers have no direct part in this process of negotiation for disarmament and are only spectators and, of course, possible victims of the failure of this generous effort, not only in the event of war but also while suffering under this peace which has come to be called the “cold war”. So long as no agreement is reached on disarmament, its chances of efficient economic aid are remote, and as there is not the vaguest hope of such agreement, we must be satisfied with the excellent advice showered on us in massive quantities to which the representative of Chile referred in masterly terms when speaking from this same rostrum [475th meeting-]. Our countries will have to develop by means of their own limited resources added to technical assistance which is on a very small scale in comparison with the assistance requested. 53.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“To make the formation of credit institutions conditional on the results of the plan for universal disarmament is a cruel joke on the countries in the process of development. The discouraging report of the Commission entrusted with this delicate and complex problem will be discussed at this very session of the General Assembly. Despite the efforts made by the Western Powers to close the gap between the negotiators, nothing useful came out of the London meetings, except the conviction that the Soviet Union does not wish to negotiate on the question of disarmament and therefore takes up positions which it knows will not be accepted by the other members of the Commission. 52.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The assistance which my Government is receiving for the completion of this tremendous highway project designed to link all the regions of Ecuador, formerly divided by geographical difficulties which have hindered our progress, is very little, I might almost say derisory. While a disproportionate excessive and growing share of military aid is given to peoples which may jeopardize the integrity or security of others, no regard is given to those who are making gigantic efforts to develop their own resources and who are not asking for charity but for co-operation by means of credit under conditions compatible with the economic situation of the country. We already have huge files full of technical, reports and plans but we have not as yet received the capital or machinery to carry them out. 51.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I may quote the case of my country (or example, in which we have more than three million hectares of very rich soil which surveys and reports by qualified American and European technicians have compared to that of Java. Yet this soil remains virgin, although it is near the Pacific on the slopes of the western range of the Andes, facing the coast. In spite of all my Government’s efforts and the personal interest of the head of the State, very little has been accomplished in comparison with the magnitude of the task. A great highway from north to south will cut through this region, in which enterprising men will find a marvellous corner of the world where great fortunes can be made and where they can live protected by our laws, which give every guarantee to foreign capital finding honest investment in Ecuador. 50.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Considerable progress has been made through technical assistance administered or co-ordinated by the United Nations, but not enough has yet been done even to bring us within sight of the desired objective. 48. As far as Latin-America is concerned, and I am speaking particularly of Ecuador, we must state that we are receiving help and co-operation, but on a much smaller scale than what should be given if any serious effort is to be made to raise the standard of living of our people and to close the widening gap between means of production and means of sustenance. 49. In Central and South America there are vast expanses of arable land which have never been touched by the hand of man.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“As a result, certain world organizations have arisen, almost spontaneously, since the end of the last century and in our era they are increasing in number to meet the growing needs which no State could satisfy alone without the greatest difficulty. The organization for postal and telegraphic communications in the first place, followed by the organization dealing with matters of health, established the model for a large family of organizations specializing in matters ranging from culture to meteorology which must be studied in all continents and latitudes. 47. Peace is indivisible and in order to obtain a lasting peace it is essential to strike at the roots of war, at hunger, nakedness, ignorance, poverty and sickness.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“This mixture of blood which fills certain politicians with horror is today and will remain in the future the only intelligent and Christian way of burying past prejudices and overcoming the Satanic pride of those who despise the coloured races. My delegation will never cease its efforts to achieve an agreement in this matter and to eliminate from our agenda matters which should never have arisen once the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been adopted. 46. The world-wide nature of our contemporary civilization makes us think especially of the part played by the interdependence of States and international cooperation. It is well known that social and economic phenomena are universal and that no State can live in isolation.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We earnestly desire to help populations which do not yet enjoy self-government or which are under trusteeship to achieve the greatest measure of self-government of which they are capable; nor do we mean, by expressing this humane and disinterested desire, to disparage the civilizing work which has been accomplished in many colonies and Non-Self-Governing or Trust Territories. 45. Since that is our position, it is clear that my delegation will take a fundamental view of matters of racial discrimination which find their way year after year into our agenda. Most of the Latin-American nations, in which this grave problem could have arisen, have avoided it by adopting the natural and humane method of mixing races.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The delegation of Ecuador has the highest respect for opinions which it does not share, and I shall do no more than explain quite clearly why we think differently My delegation does not wish to precipitate solutions, still less to do anything which the enemies who await any division in the ranks of democracy can seize upon in order to engineer a greater evil than that which we are trying to remedy. No; our argument sets forth concisely my delegation’s attitude towards the anachronistic problems of colonialism; we ask, with profound sincerity and conviction, that such problems should be solved quickly and peaceably, and wherever possible without prejudice to all legitimate interest.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We deeply regret that there should still be those in this Assembly who claim that such problems should not be raised because no progress can be made by so doing, and, in fact, that to raise them is to erect still greater obstacles to the achievement of the objective towards which we strive. It is well known that Article 2, paragraph 7, of the Charter is the first line of defence of the administering Powers, whereby they deny the Assembly’s competence to discuss such problems and assert that they are matters of domestic jurisdiction. In the last resort it is contended that the existing state of affairs cannot be altered by reason of purely political situations, on the grounds that any such change would endanger peace and security. 44.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“My delegation maintained then, and repeats now, that nations which have not reached full self-government are, as it were, incomplete States which, while possessing the elements of population and territory, lack only government or, in other words, the capacity of self-determination and self-rule. For that reason, possession of their own territory is the inalienable right of non-self-governing peoples and never of the administrators, whose only power over such territory can be compared with the powers under civil law of a guardian over a ward. We can no more speak of the sovereignty of an administering Power over a Non-Self-Governing Territory than we can speak of a guardian’s ownership of his ward’s property. We can only use the term “sovereignty” in connexion with internal administrative measures taken by an administering Power. 43.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“My delegation reaffirms its hope that both the colonial and administering Powers will fulfil the sacred trust which they have assumed and will endeavour to endow the peoples for whom they are responsible with the intellectual, moral and technical ability to achieve self-government and independence, so that the Assembly need not discuss problems of this nature which charge the atmosphere and detract from the spirit of democracy that we are trying to defend against flank attacks by the bloc of Communist Powers. 42. Last year, in the Fourth Committee, my delegation maintained that it is incompatible with the letter and spirit of Chapter XI of the Charter to plead Article 2, paragraph 7, in support of the claim that matters connected with the administration of Non-Self-Governing Territories are matters of domestic jurisdiction.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The real basis of the so-called colonial policy is the economic exploitation of the weak by the strong, and just as such exploitation has been opposed within States, the present trends of international law have flowed into fresh channels: the Mandate System of the League of Nations, and the Trusteeship System and the provisions of the United Nations Charter governing the Non-Self-Governing Territories.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Common sense tells us that it is better to continue living with an imperfect Charter which in fact serves to maintain peace, rather than to return to that primitive state of nature, as Rousseau called it, where there was no other law than that of the strongest. 40. The concept of subject and ruling nations does not. reflect the position in the world today. There are very few groups of men still incapable of governing their own destinies. The old way of regarding the world has lost its raison d’être. It arose from the concept of the hegemony of a continent peopled by men of superior race, masters of technology in all its aspects, who assumed the heavy burden of leading ignorant or barbarous peoples to a civilized way of living. 41.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Our Governments shall have one year, however, in which to reflect on the desirability and possibility of revision and we hope that good sense will prevail and that the proposal will either be postponed until a more propitious time, or that Foreign Ministries will negotiate among themselves a draft revision acceptable to all. What is important for the United Nations is that harmony should not be disturbed and that we should enter on the tenth session with a concerted plan either to revise the Charter in terms previously agreed, or to put aside the idea if by doing so we can avoid a greater evil.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Last year very little progress was made in this matter and, as in many other cases, all that could be done was to adopt a resolution [796 (VIII)] by which the Secretary-General was requested to prepare, publish and circulate documents which might be useful to Governments intending to press for revision of the Charter. This matter is not included in the agenda of the present session, and the enthusiasm of many delegations for revision seems to have waned, probably because they fear that instead of obtaining what they desire for the common good, they may destroy this edifice and find themselves once again in a world without law.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Anticipating the needs which are created by the progress of any juridical system, the Charter provides expressly that the problem of its revision must be raised and that when it is, a conference shall be held for that purpose. It was felt that ten years’ experience would be sufficient to justify any change. The opposition which has been aroused by the mere mention of revision of the Charter is a disquieting manifestation, since it reflects deep distrust between the two groups of Powers into which the political map of the world has unfortunately become divided. 39.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Knowing as we do the radical change which is now occurring, we are encouraged to have faith in the success of our use of that instrument which was established so that the change could take place without violence and without the agonizing scenes which accompanied such changes in other ages. 38. This instrument is imperfect not only because it is a political experiment on a large scale but also because it was the result of a number of compromises between States whose way of thinking, organization and culture differed widely. Our Organization must eliminate these imperfections and embrace new social principles if it is to be, as its Charter says, a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of peace and security.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Fortunately, many believe in the transcendental spiritual forces and in the limitless possibilities of human courage which refuses to bow to the force of circumstances but grapples with them and finally masters them. New and more perfect things, ideas and institutions can be built on the ruins of those which have crumbled. 37. In the crisis of the modern world there are many factors which give us a great advantage over other ages of known history; among these factors are our complete knowledge of the causes of the phenomenon and the fact that we have a sensitive and watchful legal instrument which emerged from the First World War and has been improved since the Second.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The apprehension which we all feel at finding ourselves caught in a conflagration of incalculable dimensions is very similar, to the anxiety felt, by our ancestors who saw the destruction of the Roman Empire, or who later saw their world widened by the discovery of the American continent. Just as those social events inevitably produced a fresh conception of the world, mankind today must conceive a different picture from that on which he based his explanations of the social, economic and political phenomena of the first years of the century. 36. We must not listen to those who disbelieve in any solution but tragedy or the fatalists incapable of conceiving any solution other than that governed by inexorable materialistic laws.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“This has been my country’s undeviating course in the past and will certainly be its aim, with all the more reason, in the future. 34. We are at the dawn of a new age in history. Nobody, unless he is naively optimistic or blindly rash, can deny that we face serious problems; their solution is vital to the future not only of our culture, but of life itself in all its forms. Happily, that very difficulty spurs us on to seek with calm and steadfastness the road which will lead us to truth, to the achievement of, peace, to that wisdom which will reconcile the opinions fighting for dominion over the human spirit. 35.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Before turning to the problems facing the United Nations, on which each Member must define its position clearly, I wish to take this opportunity of thanking the Assembly for the great honour it has done to my country by electing its representative to one of the Vice-Presidencies [474th meeting], in accordance with the wishes expressed by the regional group of twenty Latin-American States. 33. Ecuador is conscious of a rededication to the task which we have freely undertaken of building a better world and saving humanity from the scourge of another war. Faithful to the purposes and principles of the Charter, we repeat our promise to work unceasingly for the achievement of the noble ideals which inspired the authors of that great instrument in which all men of good will have placed their hopes.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Her ability, intelligence and energy in conducting our debates — qualities which only confirm what we already knew about her — will vindicate her brilliant reputation and will enhance the prestige of woman in the world. Her successful diplomatic career is the reward for a life of abnegation and sacrifice in the cause of the freedom and greatness of India, for whose ancient culture and humanity we have the deepest admiration.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The linguistic, religious or cultural bonds among them, or at least the community of interests, would naturally lead them to favour the same resolutions, with or without prior consultation among themselves. I find it really incomprehensible in a statesman of the stature of Mr. Nehru that his feelings, perhaps provoked by his natural reaction to his country’s exclusion from such an important political meeting, should have made him express himself in a manner inconsistent with the traditional calm and tranquillity of the men of his race and culture to whom the mystery of the inner life has been revealed in all its sublimity. 93. My delegation was highly gratified by the election of Mrs. Pandit, chairman of the Indian delegation, as President of this Assembly.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The exclusion of India should in no way be interpreted as an unfriendly act or failure to appreciate the value of that country which my Government respects and which I personally particularly admire. 92. Mr. Nehru should not be surprised that some proposals are defeated or carried in the United Nations General Assembly by the votes of the Latin-American countries. The peoples of Latin America, with their similar cultural and historical background, the same language and political orientation, tend spontaneously, whether they consult each other or not, to have a spiritual unity — which explains the similarity in their conduct. I am sure that no Latin-American statesman would be surprised if a problem affecting America which was being considered by the General Assembly were settled as a result of the support of the Arab or Asian Powers.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Nehru takes a sadly mistaken view of the Latin-American countries when he speaks of their negative position regarding India’s participation in the political conference on the unification of Korea. 91. With due respect to the Prime Minister of India, I wish to assure him that Ecuador - the only Latin-American country for which I am authorized to speak — is keenly interested in all world problems and tries to support what seems fair and reasonable, without obeying instructions from any Power. With respect to India’s participation in the political conference on Korea, my Government sincerely believed that, in the circumstances, it was preferable that the United Nations should be represented in the manner which Ecuador approved by its affirmative vote.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“If the democracies prove themselves equal to their historic task, if they become more and more convinced that only by co-operation and social service can they attain greater justice, if they become imbued with the people’s desire for freedom and succeed in eradicating old prejudices, the communist horde will have no target for its propaganda and the iron curtain will crumble, saving the world from the pagan barbarism which once again threatens it. 90. I do not wish to conclude without making a reference in passing — as the Cuban representative did this morning [441st meeting] — to the view expressed by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Nehru, in his speech to Parliament on foreign affairs last week. If Press reports reflect his thinking accurately, it would appear that Mr.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“Vyshinsky seems to indicate, the democracies must prepare to defend themselves by strengthening themselves, not only militarily, but also by satisfying the moral and material needs of their peoples. The cold war will be won by those who succeed in winning the confidence and support of the people, by those who have greater faith, tenacity and strength m upholding their ideals as well as greater courage in defending them.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“If the statesmen upon whose shoulders rests the burden of directing the destinies of the democratic States adopt the political concepts required by the times in which we live, they will find their arsenals strengthened with new weapons to protect democratic ideals; at the same time, they will find their leadership buttressed by the determination of healthy and civilized peoples convinced that the defence of their way of life defence of their own freedom, lives and wealth, and not the lives and wealth of people who remain in the rear after having exploited and sacrificed them. 89. If it is absurd to hope for an understanding, as the negative position of Mr.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The emperors of ancient Rome offered the people bread and circuses; the rulers of the Middle Ages offered their serfs bread and eternal salvation; the French Revolution offered the new classes eager to exercise their rights liberty, equality and fraternity. But those times are past, and social needs require that statesmen should direct their policies towards the welfare. of the group as well as to the freedom of the individual. The social questions of housing, health, protection against unemployment, social security, education without discrimination, are the pressing problems of the day. 88.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“But while bearing in mind that ultimate objective, they cannot hand themselves over defenceless to the machinations of those who seek their destruction. Accordingly, they have to enable their peoples to combat those who offer them an illusory material happiness, which is worth nothing since it must be bought at the price of the horrible slavery which transforms the individual into a chattel of the State. 87. Just as technical discoveries and scientific advances necessitate a basic change in military tactics, so achievements in social and economic organization bring with them a need for a new pattern in politics.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The democracies can best defend themselves by making it impossible for the enemy to attain his objective within their frontiers. Democracy, as a system, has a weapon denied to totalitarianism: freedom. Through it, the democratic States can recognize their mistakes, correct them and make their social, economic and political systems better and more equitable. Consequently, democracy will strive ever harder to raise the standard of living of the peoples, to teach them to defend their freedom against the threat of a cruel and totalitarian communism, to help them to uphold their right to live, think and work as they wish, and to ensure respect for the human person, his honour and his religion. 86. It is natural that the democracies should wish to reduce armaments and to apply all their human and economic resources to social improvements.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“We refuse to accept that tragic destiny as a solution of mankind’s problems, and, despite the allegations of those engaged in a struggle for world domination, we believe that truth must triumph if it is defended unequivocally and with the proper weapons. 84. Events seem to be proving that there can be no peaceful coexistence between a State of a totalitarian, materialistic and communistic type and a State of a democratic, idealistic and individualistic type. It is impossible because, theoretical statements to the contrary notwithstanding, the raison d’être of the first is the destruction of the other. Cold war, sabotage, guerrilla warfare and the disruptive activities of the communist parties within the democratic States are the preliminary steps for softening up, to use the military term, the terrain selected for the final attack. 85.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The Soviet Union’s very unfriendly response to the friendly appeal made by the United States to strengthen peace, its violent opposition to efforts to find a formula to end the cold war, which is one of the great obstacles to the economic development of many peoples, the diatribe and insult with which it greets the invitations extended to it, must be interpreted as meaning that it is closing all doors to a reasonable understanding and that we are condemned to continue the armaments race, the cold war and the verbal battles which are weakening the fabric of peace and bringing us dangerously nearer to that tragic destiny which may destroy the patient work of centuries in a few hours. 83.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“On the contrary, in favouring revision, it is our just and reasonable desire to destroy the anti-democratic device of the right of veto of the five great Powers, which is inconsistent with the equality of States in international law and has served merely to undermine the foundation and structure of the world organization. 82.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“He showed a curiously conservative outlook in asserting that legal rules were eternal and immutable, and an imperialistic spirit in refusing to accept any point of view other than his own. 81. The tenacious and violent opposition of the Soviet Union cannot block our progress in this great undertaking, for no one knows what the future may hold. My Government pledges itself now to work zealously for the revision of the Charter, overcoming all obstacles to the improvement of this international instrument. It rejects the insulting charge that any attempt to revise the Charter tends to transform the United Nations into an agency of one of the great Powers.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“There is no legal ground which could justify Mr. Vyshinsky’s passionate and offensive diatribe, in which he made the insulting insinuation that those who advocate revision of the Charter do so in order to destroy the United Nations, or, which is worse, to transform it into an appendage of the United States Department of State. 80. In this, as in all questions he dealt with in his statement during the general debate, Mr. Vyshinsky merely expressed his stubborn determination not to accept any solution other than that put forward by the Soviet Union and the so-called peoples’ democracies, which he also calls, with a regularity which borders on irony, “peace-loving peoples”.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“If any other method were used, proceedings would be complicated by the submission of a variety of drafts prepared without prior consultation with Member States and without their co-operation, which would impede the work of revision. 79. We cannot understand the position of the USSR representative, Mr. Vyshinsky, in violently condemning the timely proposal on this matter which appears in the agenda of this session. He said that the revision of the Charter was intended to destroy the United Nations, to endanger peace and to transform the Organization into an agency of one of the great Powers. There is no excuse for so frivolous and unjust a statement on the part of so eminent a lawyer, universally recognized in all branches of law, including that in which he won world fame as Public Prosecutor of the Soviet Union.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The request made by some countries, including Ecuador, at the last session of the General Assembly, for the amendment of the Charter In the manner provided by the Charter, was motivated only by the laudable desire to perfect the Charter, to eliminate inequities and to adapt it to actual conditions in the modern world. 78. This being so, it is natural that we should prepare for the revision of the Charter by instructing a committee of experts to carry out a calm, detailed and scientific study of the matter, the results of which would be submitted to the governments of Member States for their comments and suggestions. The conference to amend the Charter which must be convened at the tenth session would thus have before it a scientifically prepared draft which would provide a basis for discussion.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)