YouSaid · the spoken record

Nash

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS NASH

lines on the record: 109
first: 1958-09-24
most recent: 1960-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“It is even more disquieting to have an alternative proposal put before the Assembly to replace unity by crippling division, decision by indecision, trust by suspicion and uncertainty. It must be clear to those who study the meaning of the Charter and who place their faith in the success of its principles, that the acceptance of the proposal to which I refer could foreshadow the failure of this Organization as the defender of international peace and security. 73. It is true, of course, that dissension amongst the great Powers has hindered the United Nations; but this dissension has not been allowed to invade the Secretariat. On the contrary, the Charter and the practice of the United Nations have placed great emphasis on the exclusive duty owed to the Organization by all members of its staff. 74.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“May I refer again to the role of the principal office holder of our Organization, the Secretary-General. In bringing to bear the full weight and authority which the Charter accords to his office, Mr. Hammarskjold has made a signal contribution to the work of the United Nations. His ability, his integrity — and I speak from close knowledge — and his single-minded devotion to the United Nations mark him as a great and distinguished servant not only of this Organization, but for the unity of the world in which we all live. My Government expresses to him personally its profound respect and gratitude, and to his office, that of Secretary-General, its permanent support. 72. It is disquieting that an attack should be directed against the Secretary-General, in whom the vast majority of the Assembly has placed its fullest trust and confidence.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“In the fifteen years of its existence, the United Nations has displayed those qualities that I mentioned in remarkable degree. The United Nations should be the shield and defender of the independence which it has helped to create. In Asia, in the Middle East and in Africa, the majority of United Nations Members have supported prompt and vigorous action where inactivity, or ineffective action, might have led to conflict on a global scale. Recently the Security Council seemed to come to new life. Its unanimous agreement to send a United Nations force to the Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville) provided an impressive illustration of how the Council was meant to function and how it could continue to work if it received the backing of all its Members. 71.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“May I refer again to what I wrote at the same time as I previously referred to, about the United Nations when it came into being. I said, "The principles of the world charter drawn up on the Atlantic Ocean and to which all United Nations have signified their adherence can be worked out and put into practice only if we work them out together. We either stand together in this world, all nations, all classes, all creeds, all races, or we fall to the machination of those with power philosophies." 70. As the United Nations approaches universality of membership, new problems, new difficulties will inevitably be encountered. If it is to keep pace with events, the United Nations will require flexibility and vitality. But there is no reason to doubt that these qualities are present.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“They come with a new freedom into an organization of nations dedicated to fostering that freedom which could enable them to build anew their own personality with a new vision, a new potential as great and glorious, if not greater, than any previously conceived by man. This may even lead them in the future to express some ideas contrary to mine. But that does not dismay me in any way, so long as we all have the heart to appreciate the liberties and the personality of one another while expressing and defending our own. 68. We must all, and especially the small Powers, co-operate to strengthen the international Organization which we already have. Human organizations are never perfect but they can be magnificent when every member has the will to make them work. 69.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The world community should assist new States materially and should see that they are allowed to develop their own personality. That is what the United Nations is trying to do in the Congo (Leopoldville). 66. We must all regret the tragic events in that unhappy country. We must, however, learn from these events and from the problems they have posed for the United Nations. We ought to resolve to keep other areas which are to become independent, or which have just become independent, free from the major international conflict. And I say to these new countries that the United Nations must be strengthened by the co-operation of all, and not weakened by the self-interest of some. 67. I know the contribution that the new nations of Africa can make in their own right to the objectives of the United Nations. It is unique.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“I have come to this Assembly because I believe that there are dangers in the present state of international tension which, if continued, may nullify all that has been gained. In recent weeks we have seen the cold war introduced into the African continent; we have seen the authority of the United Nations itself challenged and the integrity of the Secretary-General, who has done so much to advance the peaceful evolution of all peoples, attacked in the torrent of cold war propaganda. 65. This is not only distressing; it is highly dangerous for the small nations of the world. I would not ask the newly independent States to align themselves with any Power bloc. There is much that is hopeful in the concept of neutralism expressed by African leaders like Dr. Nkrumah, and Asian leaders like that amazing statesman, Mr. Nehru.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Their presence here, symbolizing the independence of their countries, is a source of deep personal satisfaction. 63. It is clear confirmation of my belief that there are no inherently superior persons. There are different persons-but inherently superior, no. It is a denial of all that is good that was ever taught in this universe to think that there is at any time a body of men, a body of women, always better than other people. For too long, racial differences have tended to divide peoples and nations — to divide them on issues which are the common concern of all peoples. I firmly believe that the moral force of these new nations will help us better to banish completely the spectre of racial discrimination throughout the world and to achieve the full brotherhood of man. 64.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“There is a new imperialism arising in a slightly different form — a little bit new, and different from the imperialism of old. But the end of imperialism is what I dreamed of and sought and worked for and fought for all my life. I quote from the book: "If we are honestly determined to banish once and for all the imperialist idea and all it means, we must rid ourselves of the prejudices in which it has such fertile roots. We must rid ourselves of the idea that there exists or can exist an inherently superior person, superior nation or superior race. The principle must be recognized that no group of nations should be allowed to exercise political or economic domination over others. You will appreciate, then, how heartened I feel to see sitting in this Assembly the representatives of so many newly independent States.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Their march to nationhood has been encouraged by the principles of the United Nations Charter and by the growing power of this Organization to aid their development. Yet, at the very time they take their seats among us, they are exposed to suggestions and proposals that the United Nations should trim its sails and compromise with the renewed pressure of power politics. In all that I shall have to say on this question, I shall bear in mind the position of the newer Members, who are confronted by so strange a paradox. 62. If I may be permitted to strike a personal note, I should like to quote from a book — New Zealand, a Working Democracy — which I wrote here in the United States nearly twenty years ago to explain my country’s views to the people at that time. My quotation is from the ninth chapter, "Why we fight”.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“When my country took part of the United Nations Conference on International Organization at San Francisco, we were concerned to build a secure and independent Organization. We little expected then the deep and bitter differences which have since divided the great Powers; but we did build an Organization which has proved, through all the stresses of the intervening years, strong enough to maintain, and progress towards, its objectives. The presence of our new Members is, in a very real sense, the vindication of the trust we placed in the United Nations and our loyalty to its Charter. 61. The countries newly admitted to membership are the inheritors of all that was begun in San Francisco.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We welcome the great Federation as a Member of this Organization and also as a member of that Commonwealth to which New Zealand has the honour to belong. I am sure that Nigeria’s presence here, and its contribution to our deliberations, will provide further testimony to the wisdom and effectiveness of the policies followed by the United Kingdom in leading the former colonial territories to stable and untrammelled statehood. 59. To all the newly admitted Member nations may I add that we in New Zealand will be very willing to share with them the experience which we may have had as a young nation and, to the extent we can, we shall be glad to offer practical help in dealing with problems which confront them. 60. I cannot help contrasting the circumstances of 1945 with those of today.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Yet I believe that, from the perspective of the future, 1960 will be best remembered as the year of African independence. The admission of fifteen African States at this session, and the prospect of additions to that number, bear striking testimony to Africa’s political awakening. I extend the good wishes and congratulations of the Government and people of New Zealand to these new African Members. I welcome, too, the admission of Cyprus, whose presence here attests the statesmanship of the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey and the Cypriot people themselves. 58. In a few days we shall be admitting yet another independent African State, Nigeria, within whose boundaries lives one-sixth of the population of the entire African continent.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Despite the limitations and defects arising from its unrevised state, the United Nations Charter does provide a framework within which the broad range of human activities can be directed towards the wellbeing of the international community as a whole. As the experience of its early, uncertain years has plainly shown, the United Nations is essentially flexible. It is responsive to the varying needs and circumstances of a changing world. It has begun in recent months to realize its fullest potentialities; and any attempts at this stage to undermine the foundations on which the structure of this international Organization is built seem surprisingly ill-timed and dangerous. 57. During the year, events of critical importance have followed one another in rapid succession.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“New Zealand refuses to contemplate the failure of the united efforts of the majority of Members of this Organization to reverse the present disturbing trend in international relations. My delegation pledges itself to work towards this reversal. 55. The events of recent months can leave no room to doubt the gravity of the situation with which this session of the General Assembly must grapple. The tensions which have for so long frustrated efforts to build a secure and lasting peace have revived; and most unhappily they have spread to blight the vigorous growth of independence in Africa. New difficulties and new dangers have arisen with bewildering suddenness. 56.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“His responsibilities at this time are not easy to discharge, but I am sure that the Assembly will be more than satisfied and more than justified in the choice of him as its President. 53. The leaders of many nations have gathered here at a crucial moment in the history of the United Nations. Upon their decisions the future course of international organization may depend. I have come as the leader of the Government of a small nation dedicated to the purposes and principles upon which the United Nations was founded. The Government of New Zealand looks upon this Organization as the principal force for peace in the world today. They regard it as the mainstay of the freedom and independence all its smaller and less powerful Members. I have come to reaffirm in this Assembly our confidence and faith in the United Nations. 54.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“I welcome this opportunity to offer to the President the warmest congratulations of the New Zealand delegation on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly. The honour paid to him is also an honour to that great country, Ireland, from whose shores have come millions of people of Irish descent now living in so many countries of the world, I can assure him that many thousands of people of Irish descent in New Zealand learnt of his election with considerable gratification. To preside over this session is a challenging and demanding task. I know the distinguished part the President has played in the United Nations. I know, too, the outstanding personal qualities he brings to his high office.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Through the United Nations, we can best achieve the hope enshrined in the words of the Atlantic Charter that "all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want". 47. We are all constantly impressed with the thought of how much still remains to be done; we can take encouragement and hope from the thought of how much has already been achieved. But — and here I repeat what I said earlier — we must never forget, whatever the character of the problems before us, that we are not dealing with abstractions; we are concerned with human beings. We are seeking simply to provide a better life for people everywhere. The United Nations will continue to be judged on how it helps men and Governments in all parts of the world to secure the full spiritual and material well-being of human beings.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We welcome the opportunity which this visit will present to discuss matters which must be taken into account when the question of terminating the Trusteeship Agreement is considered. I can assure this General Assembly that my Government will give the mission the fullest co-operation and assistance. 46. The variety of activities encompassed within the United Nations is without parallel in the modern world. The Organization alone provides a forum for the discussion and resolution of political problems. It assists the study of economic and social difficulties affecting particular areas of the world. It provides aid in almost every field of human endeavour. It offers the means of realizing the ideals proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln of the equality, the worth and the essential dignity of all men.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“As the Administering Authority of the small Trust Territory of Western Samoa in the southern part of the Pacific, New Zealand has a natural interest in the progress of territories under the tutelage of the United Nations. In Western Samoa we have been able, with the wise guidance and co-operation of the Trusteeship Council, to bring the Trust Territory steadily and peacefully to the threshold of self-government, Samoa has now reached the stage where the representatives of the Samoan people exercise in practice almost complete control over and responsibility for the internal affairs of their country. Next year, a mission from the Trusteeship Council, charged with special functions, will visit the Territory.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We ought to glory in that objective. Clearly, their efforts to meet their own economic responsibilities Will be frustrated as long as the major nations fail to recognize the need for arrangements which will assure reasonably stable prices for what these people produce and sell, particularly for their basic commodities. 44. Thus, one of the most important tasks in which the United Nations can engage will be to provide both leadership and assistance in the development of procedures which will avoid, as far as they can, these violent fluctuations in prices. 45. Consideration of the problems of the newly independent countries prompts me to refer to the work of the United Nations in the field of trusteeship.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“During this debate, a number of representatives have referred to this problem. None of these countries, I know, wants charity, and they do not want to be made to feel that somebody is being kind to them. They have something to give to all of us, and it is for us to take it for our own benefit, and for theirs also. There are 1,500 million people with less than enough food to eat — I believe that the average number of calories in the daily diet in some places is 1,200 and in others, 1,800, while our average is 3,350, In that connexion there is only one country in which the people eat more than we do in New Zealand, and that is Ireland. The Governments of the underdeveloped countries simply want, through a fair return for their own efforts, the means to provide a decent living standard and better conditions for their peoples.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It was a magnificent example of what can come out of untrained industrial minds because of the vision that their Government had and because they could make their contribution towards it. Everywhere I went I saw evidence of outstanding advances. I know that the achievements of many other new nations are equally impressive. Nationalism has the power to release superb creative energies. In its constructive endeavours this great force — not to divide but to unite — deserves all possible help and encouragement. 43. External aid to the under-developed countries, important though it is, is secondary to the efforts of the people themselves. Perhaps the greatest difficulty which they face in the economic field — a difficulty which confronts many other countries — is the violent swing in the prices that they receive for their basic exports.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We are happy to think that the Colombo Plan has met the prescription given by the representative of Burma when he said that the important thing is to establish partnership, not patronage. Because of our appreciation of the great values, both material and spiritual, which spring from this form of activity, we welcome particularly the work which the United Nations is doing through the specialized agencies and under the programmes of the Technical Assistance Board. 42. No experience of mine during the present year was more inspiring than a visit to an Indian village where the people, with an enthusiasm which was to me unparalleled, said that they had, with old and worn-out tools, achieved their quota under the current Five-Year Plan of India.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Training has been given in New Zealand to more than 550 persons from the Colombo Plan countries and about ninety of our own nationals have been sent to the different regions as experts in the particular field for which we are noted, agricultural development, and also in social welfare. We are glad indeed that we have been able to provide this material assistance, but we welcome even more the closer relationships and deeper understanding which we share, as a result, with our neighbours in South and South-East Asia. In March of this year I spent thirty-two days there, visited perhaps nine or ten countries and travelled 25,000 miles. I was never more inspired than I was in meeting the people we were able to help and who were also helping us by developing their own resources.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Since its inception New Zealand has made available and remember that we have only two anti a quarter million people — more than $20 million for agricultural, industrial, food-processing and other technical assistance projects. The reason behind that is to help the countries concerned, in a preliminary stage of industrial development, to expand their own food supplies so that in later years they will be able to exchange inside the world of trade the commodities that they produce out of their resources for the commodities which other countries produce out of theirs. But since the inception of the Plan we have found €1 million, except for one year when it was €750,000, or, to give it in another currency, something over $20 million in all. 41.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“As a result of the work of the Preparatory Committee and the Economic and Social Council, there is a common-sense and practical plan for the efficient development of the Fund’s operations. At the appropriate time, New Zealand will make its contribution to the Fund. 40. Because of our close association with the nations of South and South-East Asia, nearly all of which have achieved their independence since the United Nations came into being, -we in New Zealand have been able, particularly through our participation in the Colombo Flan, to see at first hand the magnitude of the tasks, the intensity of present domestic effort and the importance of international assistance to the people of South-East Asia. The Colombo Plan stems from the initiative taken by the Commonwealth countries in 1950.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We find big minds sometimes in small nations and, as I say, they have no power that they want to exercise and no axe to grind. 38. Now may I come to another point, technical assistance. I believe that the programmes of technical assistance and other measures of aid to the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America represent one of the most constructive and valuable activities of the United Nations. New Zealand has been a consistent supporter of the United Nations Technical Assistance Programme and will this year contribute £75,000 to the Expanded Programme. 39. The activities of the United Nations in this field will be extended when the Special Fund, which is to be discussed here, is established.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“I believe that, given the right approach, the War saw discussions could provide a solution to the problem. Should those discussions not be fruitful, other peaceful avenues present themselves. One of these is to be found in the valuable suggestion, made by the Foreign Minister of Norway when he addressed this Assembly the other day [765th meeting], that the parties might be assisted either by a small, balanced group of nations or by the Secretary-General. I believe that the United Nations does not take all the value that it could and can out of the smaller nations that have no axe to grind and no power to exercise except the power of thought and of reason to welcome this suggestion from the Foreign Minister of Norway because of that. Small nations do not necessarily mean small minds.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Surely it is better to leave the rival claims to these islands undecided in the meantime if the alternative is to be armed conflict and the risk of a major disaster. We will all hope that a cease fire will be brought about as a result of the discussions now proceeding. The United States, for its part, has taken the initiative in endeavouring to find a peaceful solution. It has been met by the mainland Chinese, who have sent their representatives to Warsaw, and discussions are now taking place there. It is equally to be hoped that the mainland Chinese régime will agree to a settlement without bloodshed and violence. Military measures cannot settle this problem. Each side can stop fighting without giving up what it regards as its legitimate claims.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“I refer, of course, to what has been happening in the off-shore islands area in the Formosa Strait. The possibility that a widespread conflagration could at any time be sparked by hostilities there must be a source of grave disquiet to all in this Assembly, Certainly it is a matter of serious concern to New Zealand which, as a Pacific country, has a particular interest in the maintenance of peace in the Pacific region. While we should be careful not to exaggerate the dangers, neither should we underestimate the gravity of the tension which the mainland Chinese have created in seeking to secure their demands by methods of war. 37. There is an urgent need for the utmost restraint on all sides.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“If by that time there is no wider disposition to share financial responsibility more fairly, there will be many loyal supporters of the Agency who, will be reluctant to support its extension on the old basis. I hope that we would do this and that many would; but there will be some reluctance. Fundamentally, the change to which we look is a change of heart. The repeated failure — sometimes refusal — of our age is to see human problems in human terms. Nowhere is this failure more apparent than in relation to the Palestine refugees. The essential tragedy of their' present situation is that its human dimensions have been almost completely obscured. 36. Now may I turn for a moment to the Far East, where there is one problem which causes us some concern.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“And there is no self-respect in anyone who is denied the right to work: that is one of the fundamentals of human freedom. 34. Were there no UNEF or were there no UNRWA this Assembly would undoubtedly be faced with massive difficulties. These would not be solely financial — but, in financial terms alone, they would far outdo the demands at present imposed. 35. New Zealand has always held that "the United Nations will be limited in its work and results so long as its Members do not accept the implications — financial as well as political — of the decisions of the Organization. It is essential that at this current session there should be wider recognition of this fundamental principle. There should be a more generous and general response to the needs of UNEF and UNRWA. The mandate for UNRWA expires in 1960, two years from now.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Despite these limitations, there is still a reluctance among Members of this Assembly to accept the financial obligations involved in maintaining these organizations. This reluctance might be more explicable if their value and effectiveness were in doubt. Yet, their benefit is beyond question. 32. As the result of UNEF, a condition of quiet has been maintained in the area of the southern armistice lines, and this condition has been reflected in other regions. 33. As a result of UNRWA, a great social and political problem has been contained — not solved. Several hundreds of thousands of people have been given food and shelter, and many have been given education, training and opportunity, through work, to regain their self-respect.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Both are efficiently administered and operated, but in a condition of financial emergency and stringency. In UNEF, the number of troops has been somewhat reduced; in UNRWA, many important activities have been curtailed. In the case of UNEF, these reductions do not appear to have impaired its efficiency. In the case of UNRWA, on the other hand, the very character and purpose of the enterprise is in danger of being transformed. It is still able to provide the refugees with food, but it is less able today to give them hope — and hope is more valuable sometimes even than food. I believe it is correct to say that more than half of the refugees now are less than fifteen years of age and knew nothing of the original troubles. 31.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Let them look back and think of the peoples of Asia, some of Africa and of Europe and of this Continent of America, where reconciliation has taken place between peoples of different outlooks, different views, different colour. They have brought into being something that has enabled them to live, each with the other, in freedom. There are examples by the dozen throughout the world of what has been done, and I see no reason why it should not be done in the Middle East. 30. The General Assembly will later discuss the future of two organizations, the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) and UNRWA, which in different ways contribute signally to the maintenance of stability in the Middle East. The latter organization is now in its eleventh year, and UNEF will soon be in its third. Both are beset by great financial difficulties.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“The Assembly has received the Secretary- General’s report [A/3934/Rev.1] on his efforts in association with the States concerned to give effective expression to the principles outlined in the resolution. The special purpose of the resolution was to relieve Lebanon and Jordan of the fear of external pressure or interference. It is desirable that there should be a fundamental change in the spirit governing relationships among countries of the area. The practical arrangements suggested by the Secretary-General should encourage the change of spirit. This is essential to the creation of that state of confidence within which the impulse towards brotherhood among the Arab nations may have full scope. 29. Most of my listeners here today have given much time to the study of history.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“But all those who desire to attain the objectives of the United Nations will hope that that experience will have ended in relation to the Middle East. 27. Varying opinions have been expressed concerning the outcome of the third emergency special Session. We were disappointed that there was so little response to suggestions that an effort be made to deal with Middle East issues on a comprehensive rather than a piecemeal basis. On the other hand, the resolution adopted by that session [1237 (ES-III)] — drafted and worked out magnificently, I thought, by the Arabs themselves on the specific issue before the Assembly — contained several valuable elements. It enjoined all Members to observe the obligations of mutual respect, non-interference and non-aggression. It applied to all States, Arab and non-Arab, of the Middle East. 28.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“At this moment, the United Nations Emergency Force, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization and the United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon reflect in practical terms the efforts of the United Nations to preserve stability and to provide assistance to the people of the area. 26. But there is much more that could and should be done. In great degree, Middle Eastern difficulties have been intensified by past failure to face them directly. Arguments in favour of inaction or limited action have always been persuasive, and they still are. But evasion of a difficulty often merely ensures that it will have to be faced later in more complex form. That, I suggest, has been previous practice.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Obstacles that seemed insuperable have been overcome in the course of the past few months. With the great weight of public opinion behind us, I believe that human ingenuity can and will find a way to meet a great, if not the greatest, challenge that the United Nations and history have had to face — namely, disarmament. 24. Just as New Zealand looks forward to progress at this session on the issue of disarmament, so too do we hope for progress in relation to the Middle East. Such a development is long overdue. From the inception of this Organization, the problems of the Middle East have been among the most difficult and the most persistent with which it has had to deal. 25. It is true that much has been done to diminish their magnitude.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Herriot, one-time Premier of France and later President of its National Assembly, when I talked to him at the disarmament conferences where Arthur Henderson of Great Britain and others were fighting to see if there was a way through after the First World War. But that despair shown by that great man, Herriot, was not justified. If we cannot win through, we are not worthy of being human beings. This problem of organizing discussion of disarmament within the United Nations framework must be considered with the seriousness it merits. The United Nations must play its full and rightful part. 23. No country should refrain from stating its views on these problems when they are before the Assembly. Our voice, small as it may be, will be spoken with optimism. Our vote will be cast with faith.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“To complete the control system, there must be several testing posts on the Chinese mainland, and this will require the consent of the Government in Peiping. New Zealand feels that any meaningful disarmament agreement must include mainland China. Geography and the population statistics underline this proposition for us in the South Pacific. 22. We must start again the special United Nations disarmament machinery. No negotiations could bring practical results in a committee of the entire eighty-one Members of this Assembly. Negotiations can best be carried forward by a small group meeting in private as in the Sub-Committee of the Disarmament Commission or in the conference of experts on the cessation of tests. I will never forget the despair of Mr.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“If agreement to end tests can be completed and its observance can be verified — that is most important — tension will be lowered, trust will begin to grow and the way will be open for more fruitful negotiations on the other issues, including disarmament proper, which continue to divide the major systems of power in the world. 21. We should not lightly dismiss the obstacles which still stand in the way of agreement, even on the limited issue of discontinuing tests. There is still a difference among the nuclear powers on the precise terms of reference for the talks to be held at the end of this month. There is the problem of securing universal acceptance of whatever may be agreed upon. There is the problem of the place of China in this particular field.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“It is that lack of confidence that today is destroying the possibility of building something better. It has sometimes been said that until confidence has been reestablished through the solution of some of the major political problems besetting the world, no progress can be made on disarmament. That is a counsel of despair. But if we forego speeches of mistrust and misrepresentation, so many of which I have heard in this Assembly during the last few days, we could agree on disarmament better than we' would be able to do otherwise. By that time, we would, I think, create an atmosphere of confidence and trust in which the great political differences would have a chance of being reconciled. The two things are complementary. Progress on one is bound to make progress easier on the other.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“If such an organ could be made to work successfully, it could provide the foundation for control organs to police other and more extensive disarmament agreements. To provide the elaborate control network envisaged by scientific experts who, met in Geneva will, be costly, but the cost will be minute compared with its value. If it works effectively, as I have no doubt it can be made to do, it will dispel the suspicion that "inspection" is only a cloak for spies. 20. Fourthly, an early agreement to end tests would produce another benefit more general and less tangible, but potentially the most important of all: confidence and trust between the nations. What has frustrated and embittered the disarmament negotiations so far has been lack of confidence, warranted or unwarranted.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“But the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has clarified the issue a little by making plain its view that all steps designed to minimize radiation, including the cessation of tests, would be to the benefit of human health. 18. Secondly, it would, if it were universal in its application, rule out the danger that efficient atomic weapons will be developed by an ever-increasing number of countries. Any agreement among all countries should provide that those not possessing or manufacturing nuclear weapons will, in the wider interests of humanity, renounce the right to produce them. 19. Thirdly, .it would establish for the first time a world-wide inspection system. That is really the key to disarmament.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Other elements may, of course, be introduced and modifications made. 16. Even though in itself it is not enough, there is some common ground now between the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom that the question of suspending tests should be taken first. My Government hopes the Assembly will endorse that position. In the absence of an agreement which would link the cessation of tests with other disarmament measures, there is value in a separate agreement to end nuclear tests. For reasons of overwhelming cumulative force, the cessation of nuclear tests is essential. 17. First, it would end the problem of radioactive fall-out from test explosions of nuclear weapons. There has been much controversy about the extent of the danger. Few in the world know its full extent. They only read of it and take the opinion of others.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“We have consistently urged that this should be done as soon as possible by an international agreement containing adequate safeguards against evasion. Last year, with fifty-five others, New Zealand endorsed the Western proposals which linked a cessation of tests with a cessation of production of nuclear material for weapons. Those were good proposals. They formed an acceptable basis for a programme of partial disarmament. It is to be regretted that after their approval by the Assembly [resolution 1148 (XII)] one Power refused even to discuss them. But we are nearing something better, I believe, perhaps by the end of the present month. If discussions on disarmament proper are to be resumed, as I hope the Assembly will decide that they should be, those proposals will still provide elements for an agreement.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Among the many objectives, the primary one at this period must be a comprehensive and balanced programme of disarmament with adequate inspection at every stage. Even if this cannot be achieved quickly, it cannot be achieved too soon. A step-by-step approach is logical and unavoidable. It would be wrong to regard a programme of partial measures as more than a temporary substitute for the comprehensive disarmament that must be sought. We must not regard the cessation of nuclear tests or the establishment of an inspection system to safeguard against surprise attack as a substitute for actual reduction and ultimate abandonment of armaments, invaluable though either Step would be in reducing distrust and tension. 15. The New Zealand Government, for which I speak here, welcomes the progress that has been made towards ending nuclear tests.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)
“Out of that Conference came one amazing short statement which is so true: "Poverty anywhere menaces prosperity everywhere." 14. Alongside these first principles and purposes of life, I draw attention again to the international effort to reduce armaments, which up to the present has yielded depressingly meagre results. Yet for all the discouraging history of disarmament, for all the years of apparently fruitless negotiation in the League of Nations and in special disarmament conferences within and outside the United Nations, no Government or person that thinks of the human race as a worth-while body of people in the history of this universe of ours can justify in any way a loss of faith in the possibility of progress and ultimate achievement.”
1958-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 13 (1958)