YouSaid · the spoken record

Krishna MENON

lines on the record: 599
first: 1956-09-24
most recent: 1961-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

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“But that does not alter the basic proposition that, in this area, the time has come for everyone to recognize that these lands are no longer anybody's to exploit; they are the homes of the people to whom they belong and, what is more, their wealth must be exploited in the interests of the populations themselves, with such co-operation as may be forthcoming without sacrifice of their independence. 35. This takes us to two matters which must, by association of ideas, be spoken of, although it is not exactly fitting here. 36. Many delegations have spoken one way or the other about the suggestions that have been discussed in the corridors of the United Nations and mentioned by representatives to one another about the establishment of a permanent United Nations emergency force.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“On the other hand, the solution in regard to the Middle East was found through Arab unity; and we welcome this expression of unity and take the view that when the United Nations Observation Group was in Lebanon, the United Nations should have been able to rely on its presence and on the fact that what really happened was an internal affair which perhaps could have been settled in that way. At the same time, we are happy to think that no warlike action has taken place, no shots have been fired and no people have been killed; and what is more, it did not lead to a world crisis. For all this we are thankful, and we are thankful for the restraint exercised on all sides.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It is our view that a report of this kind should have been placed on the agenda as an item in the normal way. I shall come back to this aspect of dealing with United Nations matters in a short time; for the present, however, we do not intend to comment on the substance of this report except to express the hope that this sorry chapter of history will soon be closed. 34. There are some lessons, however, to be drawn from this: that neither in the Egyptian crisis of two years ago, nor in the Lebanese situation in the present, the policies that have been followed in these areas -either of a system of defensive pacts or of intrusion in other ways, or of reliance on the division between the Arab countries — have been of great use.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We have before us a report submitted by the Secretary-General [A/3934/Rev.1] on the immediate position in the Middle East. My delegation does not intend to debate this at this moment, for two reasons. First of all, the Secretary-General seems to have said, or implied, that this report has the acquiescence, or the co-operation, or the consent, of the parties concerned. We have heard one or two statements from this rostrum from the parties concerned which, in the absence of any other evidence, we must for the time being accept with comfort. We hope that all these troops of foreign origin will be withdrawn from these territories and the people allowed to live their lives in their own way. But my delegation reserves the right to consider the report submitted to the United Nations should world conditions so demand.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“If it is suggested that the United Nations Observation Group should continue to function for some time, or should be increased in numbers, we would be prepared to consider such a proposal favourably; but any such proposal must be a peace measure, and it can have a chance of success only if it is accepted by all countries". This, however, is now part of history. 32. Similarly, we are always faced with what is called "indirect aggression". My Prime Minister says: "Indirect aggression is inherently, essentially, inevitably a part of the cold war technique. In fact, there would be no indirect aggression at all if there was no cold war. Therefore, the way to resolve indirect aggression would be, on the one hand, to withdraw foreign interference from other places, and also not to approach world problems on this cold war basis." 33.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It is that we do not accept that foreign troops should be used in any territory — and we say advisedly "in any territory", whether it be Europe, Asia, Africa or anywhere else. We are convinced that in the Middle East there can be no settlement and no return to normality until foreign troops have been removed. As my Prime Minister said: "The countries there should live their awn free, Independent lives without interference from outside, from wherever it may be. The foreign troops should be withdrawn. In our view, the United Nations should not send any kind of police or armed force to Lebanon or Jordan, as has been suggested in some places.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“30. If it had been possible for all concerned to have appreciated this situation, the tragic developments of two years ago could have been avoided. My delegation does not say this in a manner of "We told you so", but it is necessary for us to draw some lessons from this without jumping to conclusions based on some newspaper reports, or ambassadorial reports, or some misreading regarding a revolutionary movement such as the one that took place in Iraq recently. 31. The position of my Government in regard to the recent entry of United Kingdom and United States troops into other areas of the Middle East has been communicated to the General Assembly [738th meeting] and has been expressed by the Prime Minister in Parliament as part of Government policy.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Equally, it was believed that it would not be possible for the Canal to function with the comparatively low engineering achievements of the Egyptian people. It is, therefore, interesting to look at reports on the Suez Canal since then. Instead of a decrease in traffic we find that — in spite of the fact that the number of warships going north or south is smaller today — there was a considerable increase of traffic In June 1958 as compared with the previous June. What is more, the Nasser project for improving the Canal will we are told, make it navigable for 200 ships in a day. Therefore, instead of being retarded in either a technical, an economic or apolitical sense, the new arrangements with regard to the Suez Canal - without any difficultly in connexion with the relations between the users and the others — seem to have settled down.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We are happy to think that the situation has now been resolved, and if we refer to this today it is only for the purpose of pointing out that a great deal of this kind of thing seems to appear as the result of miscalculation and misinterpretation. All of us will remember that two years ago it seemed to be assumed as a truism that the Suez Canal could not function under any conditions, except under foreign auspices. Now what are the facts? First of all, the relations between the former Suez Canal Maritime Company and the present Company — created by the Government of Egypt but independent — seem to have been resolved in a way which at that time was a bone of contention. No question of expropriations seems to have arisen, and there appears to be a happy settlement.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Further than that, we are also happy to feel that the regional organizations of an economic character have gained strength in the last year, both in southeast Asia in the newer projects of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East and in the formation of the Economic Commission for Africa. It is our great pleasure to welcome this regional organization in Africa. 29. This year, as two years ago, the United Nations once again met the challenge of what we would, without any disrespect to our friends, call the aftermath of imperial power. The first of these occasions was two years ago when we were faced with the situation - now happily concluded — in the Middle East resulting from the entry of foreign troops into Egypt.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“My country is grateful to the many specialized agencies and organs of the United Nations which — either by propaganda, by the organization of public opinion or by actual aid — have been able to assist Asian, African, and other under-developed countries. In this connexion my Government desires to mention particularly the name of the United Nations Children's Fund as indeed it would like to mention the names of the great countries such as the United States, the Soviet Union, the Colombo Plan countries, Norway, Japan and the nations of eastern Europe which have all, either technically or otherwise, come to our assistance in the carrying out of this plan.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“While looking to what has happened In the past should be confined to seeking to avoid errors in the future and, if we have had any successes, to draw inspiration from them, looking in front of us we are faced with many difficulties and obstructions which seem to project themselves from the past. Broadly speaking, I think we can only say that the achievements of the last year in the big political matters are largely of a character where we could feel that it might have been worse. In other words, it would have been possible, as I shall point out later on, to avert what could have been a larger conflict by the operation of, not necessarily the machinery, but the expression of the will of, the United Nations. 28.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“In the arid desert of Rajasthan canal irrigation has new reached the position where this desert is going to be irrigated by nearly 200 miles of canals. 26. Now these facts are not submitted to the Assembly in any sense of national egotism, or even with any feeling of satisfaction much less complacency. But it is one of the main problems in this world whore large numbers of us, who but a few years ago were part of colonial empires, whore our economic and political processes have either been thwarted or stunted, or at any rate have not made their full development, have now come into other contexts. That development is not possible in any country in isolation from the rest of the world. 27. From there we come to the United Nations. It is our obligation on those occasions to look both forward and backward.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“But, at the same time, it is not possible for, a country like ours to survive in this world without considerable industrial development, and this industrial development has gone on — although not as fast as we would like it to — and schemes on which the future of our country the production of food and our ability to survive depend, have also gone on apace. Since it is not possible to give a detailed account, I should like just to refer to one or two aspects. 25. One of the major items in this enterprise has been in relation to the harnessing of the water of our country. The greater part of rain-water flows into the sea, as may well be the case everywhere else. The famous Bhakra Dam, however, which is 740 feet high and provides for 650 miles of canals, is nearing completion and should produce for us nearly a million tons of food.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“The maintenance and success of our Plan, however, is of more than national concern, because if we, with our modest efforts, could not get there, it is unlikely that other people, similarly placed, could do so. Our targets have been modest. I am glad to be able to say that in the two and a half years of the Second Five-Year Plan, we have on an average reached 62 per cent of our targets, and there is no reason why we should not exceed them. 24. The Community Projects referred to the smaller and rural aspect of the Indian social and economic revolution.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It would take us more time and necessitate other methods. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity of expressing the appreciation of our country to countries large and small that have come to our assistance, either technically or with other resources. It is not necessary for me to go into the details because they are always published in the Press and are available, 23. There has been a considerable amount of talk to the effect that a country like ours, attempting to industrialize itself and to spread and implement democratic institutions on a large scale, may fall by the wayside owing to the pressure that these endeavours must impose on us. There have been expressions of opinion outside India that our Five-Year Plan should be cut down.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Over and above that, it is' not possible in modern conditions, if we are to maintain stability in our country, to do without the maintenance of democracy to the lowest level. 21. A whole civil service has also come into existence — and I use this term advisedly — because without it policies cannot be implemented by adequate administration, The Government of India today has in training over 400,000 men and women who are functionaries in the villages, and they hope to reach the target of one million trained men and women at the end of next year. 22. These planned efforts have to a certain extent required a great deal of sacrifice from our people, and the main resources have come from our country itself. We could not keep the pace of our efforts without assistance from other countries.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“I mention this in particular because in countries like ours, however much one may read about great industrial advances and achievements, the bulk of our people lives in these villages and is dependent upon agriculture. Equally, in the conditions of planned economy, where we are trying to avoid the dangers and the diseases, of a scramble for property and power and at the same time of attempting to beat people all into the same pattern, there lies a co-operation that has become very important. Although we are rather late in the field in this particular matter, in the last few months and years some 60,000 co-operative societies — of which over a thousand are of the industrial type — have come into existence.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“All this added together makes in our country a set of circumstances which provides for the world a great deal of opportunity for study and observation. 20. Each year we have drawn attention to the vast changes that occur in the villages of India. There are some 600,000 of these, and today 272,000 of them have come under village self-government — under what called the Community Projects Scheme, which I am glad to think has attracted die attention of the technical side of the United Nations. By these smaller scale efforts of villages, somewhere about 2.72 million acres of land have been reclaimed and another 4.9 million acres brought under small irrigation schemes. These figures do not refer to the larger schemes at all.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We live in conditions of a planned economy, and we make no apologies for it. Without that planning, it would not have been possible for us to bend our energies and our meagre resources and to keep our head above water in this world. In that economy, a degree of balance between the old country, with its hundreds and thousands of villages, and the needs of modern production, Including our defence, becomes important. 19. Also, we are attached to a way of thinking where we like to make experiments for ourselves and not take orders hereafter from any people, and to the method of trial and error even though often it becomes expensive. Added to that is the necessity of being able to keep pace with changes in the context of a parliamentary democracy and by ways of consent.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“The thoughts of that vast continent are rooted in the conditions of the people, and it is not easy for those who live outside or who do not have intimate contact with it to realize the reactions and responses to various appeals that are made here or to realize generally how we function in the context of newly- liberated areas. 17. Therefore, as I said a while ago, if one may refer briefly to conditions that exist, it is also because we represent in many ways the conflicts of ideas and ideologies that take place here. To us, it is not the conflict of ideologies that seems to be real; it is the conflict between the "haves" and the "have-nots". It is these economic divisions that tend to drive the world into conflict, even though the day of classic imperialism is proclaimed to have passed. 18.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“But even more important is the tremendous ferment going on in the minds of hundreds of millions of people in Asia. "For Asia is and will continue to be in an explosive state because the recent changes during the last few years have unleashed a giant, political changes and the like have unleashed a giant kept tied up for 150 years or more. It has been unleashed not entirely, but considerably, and naturally it does not propose to behave as if it were leashed either in apolitical domain or in an economic domain." 16. The Prime Ministers pointed out that, if the Conference had met in New Delhi 300 years ago, the terms of economic relations would have appeared different.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“He said that there was now a vast difference in living standards, and all that goes with it, between the highly industrialized countries and communities and the non-industrialized ones. He went on to say: "What is even more significant is that the gap is ever increasing — it is not being bridged but it is ever increasing. The pace of progress, through development of science and technology, is tremendous where they have been developed, while other countries, like India, struggled hard just to keep themselves going. For us" — for all Asia and for Africa in part- "it is a struggle for survival. It is a life and death struggle for the nation as a whole, for the 400 million people. I want you to feel this human element. We have to look upon it from the point of view of resources and money and all that.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“He went on to say: "Normally, you have in the past been surrounded by Europe or America. It is good, therefore, that for a change you should feel the environment of Asia and all other things that pertain to a part of Asia". 14. Mr. Nehru said that he did not mean to argue that Asia was one solid bloc. He said that there were differences; that there were problems of West Asia, that there was great tension and danger at present in the Far East of Asia, and that there were also the problems of South Asia. "They are different", he said, "but the main connecting link is that there is tremendous ferment in Asia, whether West, East or South. It is an important factor to remember." 15.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Therefore, if I take the time of the Assembly on a few matters of detail, I feel sure that the Assembly will forgive me. 13. In this connexion, the statement made by our Prime Minister a few hours ago in New Delhi, at a meeting of delegates of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation, appears to us to be relevant, because in this Assembly, especially having regard to the incidents of the last two or three years, it would not be out of place at all to quote these words which, in our humble view, are an expression of the sentiments of the peoples of Asia. Our Prime Minister asked delegates to bear in mind the fact that millions in Asia and other underdeveloped countries- "are no longer going to keep quiet, and they want the better things of life".”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It has been our privilege to benefit from these speeches that have preceded ours, and we would like to take this opportunity of echoing what has been said here by many delegations in the way of an affirmation of their loyalty to the United Nations and to the Charter and its principles and to the determination of our Government to implement those principles to the best of our ability and understanding. 12. It is usual on these occasions to refer to conditions prevailing in one's own country, and that is not done because of any national egoism. In the case of a country like ours, in part representing the new resurgent Asia, wo do so not in the sense of having any priority of representation over anyone else but merely by way of providing a fair example of that new Asia.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“My delegation has had the benefit of a survey of world affairs from the different points of view of different continents and different so-called ideologies and also of those who prefer to remain outside the conflict of ideologies. In all these speeches, in addition to the expression of great concern about the present state of the world, which is not unusual in expressions of opinion from this platform, there has been an emphasis on the outstanding importance of the problem of disarmament, concern about the exclusion of China from the United Nations, and an unusual but welcome stress on economic affairs. 11.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“9. Mr. Krishna MENON (India): My delegation wishes to add its voice, Mr. President, to the many that have been heard from this rostrum conveying to you their felicitations on your election to the high office of the presidency of the General Assembly. We should also like to take this occasion to recall the services rendered by your predecessor, Sir Leslie Munro. 10. The general debate is usually an occasion for surveying the events of the last year and dealing with the many problems which may strike a delegation as being particularly important. Some seventy-two speakers have preceded me, and they have taken about fifty hours of the Assembly's time. It is therefore not to be expected that I shall have very much new to say.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We have a duty by the present generation. The Foreign Minister of Belgium said that the present generation was not responsible for the evils around the world. Nobody says it is. But the present generation will be responsible for the destruction that will be wrought in the world if it does not cry halt.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The barriers that we have built not only in trade but in science and understanding between races and peoples will begin to disappear. 201. I make a fervent appeal to the representatives here that we should not depart from this Assembly without proclaiming to the world that the nations of the world, large and small, are conscious of a rising feeling in the world, and let us not forget this. Parliament after parliament and people after people all the world over are faced with the same situation. We have been told that millions of human beings to be born and other forms of life will undergo mutations. Unknown diseases will creep over the earth. The civilization we know will be destroyed. But no Government, no people, will take the right decision merely because of the fear of the consequences. We have a duty by our legacy.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“We think that this is not a matter that concerns only a small group; it concerns the whole of humanity. 200. Today, it is possible to stop these explosions. We may be told that some explosions have taken place inside a mountain and there is no way of detecting them. The answer is that in every country some burglars escape, but we do not abolish policemen for that reason. There may be an evasion somewhere. By and large, we would stop this evil. We would proclaim to the world that we no longer believe in the thermo-nuclear gospel. We believe in co-operation. Once there is suspension of these explosions, co-operation becomes inevitable and the knowledge that is at the disposal of any one nation should be at the disposal of the other.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the 'great destroyers', but the whole book of history reveals mankind's never ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build." [470th meeting, paras. 95 and 96.] 198. If I may say so with respect, this is an excellent contribution to human knowledge, which could not have been better phrased. 199. Before I leave this rostrum, I wish to repeat once again that when the time comes to take some step towards disarmament, we appeal for consideration for any proposal irrespective of the source from which it may come or of the fact that it does not come from the great Powers, with which we constantly keep in consultation and for whose wisdom and experience we have great respect.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“"To pause there would be to confirm the hopeless finality of a belief that two atomic colossi are doomed malevolently to eye each other indefinitely across a trembling world." (That is what has happened in the Disarmament Commission up to now.) "To stop there would be to accept helplessly the probability of civilization destroyed, the annihilation of the irreplaceable heritage of mankind handed down to us from generation to generation, and the condemnation of mankind to begin all over again the age-old struggle upward from savagery towards decency, and right, and justice. Surely no sane member of the human race could discover victory in such desolation. Could anyone wish his name to be coupled by history with such human degradation and destruction?”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Nothing can be done without faith in the objective, and at present, if you think you are not likely to get agreement, then there will be no agreement. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the difficulties that exist, and that is why we have made this practical suggestion. 197. Speaking before this Assembly four years ago, the President of the United States said in regard to surprise attacks and consequences: "But for me to say that the defence capabilities of the United States are such that they could inflict terrible losses upon an aggressor, for me to say that the retaliation capabilities of the United States are so great that such an aggressor's land would be laid waste, all this, while fact, is not the true expression of the purpose and the hopes of the United States." — and I would add, the United Nations.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“That is the only reasoning that we can follow and we, as a small, weak, and, if you like, an inexperienced nation, appeal to the atomic colossi, as they are called by President Eisenhower, to deal with this matter in this way. The time has come to recognize the changes that are taking place and to move towards each other on this plateau of agreement that has already been reached. 196. Those of you who have carefully read the debates of the Sub-Committee of the Disarmament Commission will find that there has been considerable agreement. I think it is only right to pay a tribute to the great contribution made by Mr. Harold Stassen, not by any formula, but by the atmosphere of optimism he has brought with him.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“We think that we should take account of what has happened, not in terms of fear, not in terms of saving face, not in terms of national pride, but recognizing that we have begun a new interplanetary epoch. Just as we threw away the opportunities of control because of our difficulties in eliminating the consequences of atomic discoveries, there is no doubt that science, while it is beneficial to mankind, on the one hand, is equally capable of doing much harm, 195. This is the time, then, to come to an agreement so that there will be a sharing of knowledge where knowledge is free and where humanity is not divided by domestic walls.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“From 1945 to 1957, humanity, the nations, and the Governments, while they struggled with these matters, made no progress and gave no recognition that we were dealing with a different problem from what we faced before. Great as suspicions may be, there can be no more pregnant danger than the actual consequences themselves. It is for us to reconcile these two matters. Humanity's intelligence, its inventiveness, its capacity for adaptation, all of this has advanced, but human wisdom has not kept pace. The imaginativeness of mankind, the consideration of the future of posterity, or the value of our inheritance, this is the conflict that faces us. Unless mankind is able to reconcile technical advance with humanity and wisdom, then there will be people who have no vision, and those who have no vision must perish. 194.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“That Sub-Committee was setup on the initiative of the Indian delegation in 1953, and the hope at that time was that the five countries composing it, all competent and capable and since re in their devotion to peace, would be able to work round the table and not in two camps. But as it happened — and it has received much publicity — if has become largely the reflection of two points of view. Nevertheless, the progress they have made is a very considerable contribution which can be utilized hereafter. 192. We would like at this point to say that on 16 July 1945, the Americans exploded at Alamogordo in New Mexico the first nuclear bomb, before the Hiroshima bomb. The atomic age had begun. On 4 October 1957, the Soviet scientists sent out a satellite into what is called interspace. Now the interplanetary age has begun. 193.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“We do not subscribe to the idea of appointing an arbiter in this matter; one might be chosen by agreement between the two sides. The commission could deal with questions such as the time from which the future production of fissionable material in all countries would be available only for peaceful purposes; an undertaking to refrain from the use of thermonuclear bombs; the dismantling of stocks for other purposes. 191. The third aspect of disarmament, on which we have submitted a draft resolution before the First Committee, is that there should be some change in the composition of the Disarmament Commission and its Sub-Committee.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“From our study of this problem, we think it is possible. We will never get anywhere by what President Eisenhower has called the two atomic colossi speaking against each other and glaring at one another. But if it were possible to have common inspection, neither of these great and powerful countries could be expected to submit to an inspection in which they did not take part. No one suggests that. They should take part as the principal parties, but there would be something to keep them together. 180. I think that a great many problems can be solved by arrangements of this kind. Therefore we would suggest, when the time comes, the setting up of a commission for this purpose, composed of equal numbers of representatives of the two differing views, and the representatives of other States.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“At the present time, there is a conflict between those who say that no more nuclear fuel should be used for making arms, and others who say: yes, no more nuclear fuel, but no more use of arms. As far as the United Nations is concerned, as early as 1946 it was laid down that our aim was the prohibition of these arms [resolution 41 (I)]. There is only one thing to do with weapons of mass destruction and that is not to have them. I think it is possible, given the freedom of coming together, given a plateau of agreement — on which the parties seem to meet, but again they have teen torn asunder by clouds of suspicion — given a very large area of agreement, to set up a scientific and technical commission to recommend to the Disarmament Commission an adequate system of inspection arrangements in all the territories where this is necessary. 189.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The scientists go on to say: "The long record of failure in disarmament negotiations has left the world weary of pious talk on this subject and sceptical of the possibility of ultimate control. We now need this positive and constructive step of arms limitation...". 187. Therefore, the first thing that we would like to ask for is that there should be a suspension of nuclear tests, and we offer as a constructive suggestion the idea that there must be some provision against the misuse of such suspension by others. If this can be discussed, even in the Disarmament Commission, we are bound to advance towards solutions. And if this Assembly did nothing else except decide on or recommend the suspension of these tests, it would have taken a remarkable step towards reversing the course of armaments. 188. The second thing that we ask is this.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“The scientists say that "rapid advances in international political arrangements are necessary if disaster is to be avoided". The test ban could be monitored by a United Nations monitoring agency. 186. Here I would like to state — and I shall elaborate on this in the First Committee — that in our country, while we do not make and have no intention of making destructive weapons, there has been a considerable advance in atomic science. Hundreds of scientists are working in this field; there are reactors made in India with Canadian assistance, and various uranium metal processing plants, and so on. Our feeling is that unless there is control now, unless this thing is given up now, the time will come when materials that exist in ordinary plants will, irrespective of all agreements, be used for other purposes.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
““An international agreement to stop the testing of nuclear bombs now could serve as a first step toward a more general disarmament and the ultimate effective abolition of nuclear weapons, averting the possibility of a nuclear war that would be a catastrophe to all humanity...” 185. There is a great deal of evidence in this way. We fully subscribe to the idea behind the Belgian suggestion [685th meeting] that more information should be made available through the Assembly channels, provided this idea of affording information does not act as a measure of delay in finding solutions. There is no doubt that we have now enough information, whether it be from the Federation of American Scientists or from any other part of the world.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Each added amount of radiation causes damage to the health of human beings all over the world and causes damage to the pool of human germ plasm such as to lead to an increase in the number of seriously defective children that will be born in future generations. "So long as these weapons are in the hands of only three Powers, an agreement for their control is feasible. If testing continues, and the possession of these weapons spreads to additional Governments, the danger of outbreak of a cataclysmic nuclear war through the reckless action of some irresponsible national leader will be greatly increased.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Professor Crow of the University of Wisconsin, who was the first witness, said: "We can be sure that several hundreds of thousands, or tens of thousands, or perhaps more persons will be diseased or deformed or will die prematurely or be otherwise impaired as a consequence of fall-out if the present rates of testing continue." 184. I am not going to read all this material because it can be read somewhere else. But it is important for us to realize that an appeal was made in this country by no fewer than 2,173 atomic scientists, who have told us the following: "We, the American scientists whose names are signed below, urge that an international agreement to stop the testing of nuclear bombs be made now. "Each nuclear bomb test spreads an added burden of radioactive elements over every part of the world.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“(I think I am right about it, that was a 10-megaton bomb, and therefore there is no question of its being harmless.) 181. Here I think the best authorities are the scientists of the United States; in no country has there been so much study about these matters, and fortunately for us there is freedom of information which makes the results available. 182. Before the United States Congress, in June of this year, evidence was given by geneticists. What did they say? Here is a quotation from the report: "Their general conclusion was that any amount of radiation could damage reproductive cells, thus causing mutations in the hereditary pattern. In genetics, they warned, there is no such thing as a 'safe dose' of radiation. They suggested that they might have underestimated previously the genetic damage caused by radiation." 183.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“Clean bombs are fusion weapons detonated in the air, in the stratosphere or somewhere, at very great heights, and therefore they do not make for secondary radiation because they do not churn up the earth. But how are they triggered? By fission bombs of the Hiroshima type, and even those triggering bombs are four-and-a-half times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb. Where does this radiation go? Any idea of a clean bomb is like the idea of humane slaughter — it does not exist. There can be no kind of clean destruction — it is like telling someone "I would like to slit your honourable throat”. While this idea may be honestly put forward, it is something that will lead us into a plain lie. A clean bomb is a bomb that still releases radiation four-and-a-half times greater than the Hiroshima bomb.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“On the other hand, if you are going to go on saying that because one side proposes suspension and the other does not, and therefore the matter should not be pursued, we shall not get anywhere. 179. I have referred to the number of explosions. I also wish to take this opportunity, even though it may be slightly anticipating the discussion in the First Committee, to say that nations and peoples should be careful about being led astray by What we regard as fallacious arguments about the kinds of bombs that will humanely kill people or will not kill them at all. 180. We are told about clean bombs. This is not the time to argue it scientifically, but what are these clean bombs?”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)
“If we are to go on continually arguing whether we should disarm first and inspect afterwards or inspect first and disarm afterwards we are not likely to get anywhere, but if it is possible to throw the whole of this matter and the purely practical proposals connected with it into the hands of competent people, experts in this case or perhaps political leaders in other cases, for there are those who have not taken sides in this matter, it is possible that other ideas will be produced which will make inspection possible. 178. This was the way we found successful in other matters, in Korea, in Indo-China, even in Egypt; therefore if there were some sort of machinery for opening a middle way we might eventually achieve the suspension of nuclear explosions.”
1957-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 12 (1957)