YouSaid · the spoken record

Khrushchev

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS KHRUSHCHEV

lines on the record: 149
first: 1960-09-24
most recent: 1960-09-24
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: un-general-debate

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“Such are the rules of human development, and only adventurers can believe that mountains of corpses and millions of victims will delay the advent of a radiant future. 173. We must have done with colonialism, for it brings misfortunes and suffering not only to the peoples of the enslaved countries — misfortunes and suffering, tears and deprivation are the lot of the peoples of the metropolitan countries too. Who can say that the mothers of France, whose children are dying on the fields of Algeria, are less unfortunate than the Algerian mothers who are burying their sons in their own land? 174. Today, when the blood of the colonial peoples is flowing, we cannot turn away, we cannot close our eyes to this bloodshed and pretend that peace reigns.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The peoples of Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, Ruanda-Urundi, Angola, Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, South West Africa, Zanzibar and also West Irian, Puerto Rico and many other colonies are fighting an increasingly stubborn battle for their rights. 172. It should be clear to everyone that there is no means and no force which can halt this struggle of the peoples for their liberation, for it is a great historic process, one of ever-growing and invincible power. It may be possible to prolong the dominion of one State over another for a year or two, but just as in the past the bourgeois order of things came to replace feudalism and as, now, socialism is replacing capitalism, so colonial slavery is giving place to freedom.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“What is going on in these countries and regions justly arouses the anger and indignation of all right-thinking individuals on earth. But the days of untroubled domination by the alien oppressors are drawing to a close, even in the colonies they still retain. Although the old order may persist in the colonies, the people there are changing. They are growing increasingly conscious of their position and are firmly refusing to bear the colonial yoke. And when the peoples rise to fight for their freedom, for a better life, then no force in the world can stop this mighty movement. 171. Look at what is happening now in the colonies. Africa is seething and bubbling like a volcano. For some six years now the Algerian people have been waging a heroic and selfless struggle for their national liberation.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“It is precisely in the colonies that you will find the longest working day, together with the lowest national income, the lowest wages, the highest illiteracy rate, the shortest life expectancy and the highest mortality rate among the population. 170. I need not elaborate here on the miserable plight of the more than 100 million people who still languish in colonial bondage and who are deprived of all their rights. The archives of the United Nations contain more than enough reports from various United Nations bodies, more than enough petitions and complaints, revealing the situation of the populations of those countries and territories where, under various guises, the colonial system of government is still preserved. These documents are an indictment of the shameful colonial system.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We saw large new construction projects in these countries — dams, roads, and new universities and institutes. 168. Would the picture be the same in the colonies? There neither is nor could be anything of the kind there. In the colonies arbitrary rule by foreigners prevails. The peoples of the colonial countries are not only deprived of the right to independence and self-government; in addition, their national and human feelings and their self-respect are scorned and outraged at every turn. Through ruthless exploitation and robbery, the foreign monopolists wring everything of value from the colonies, plundering their wealth like barbarians. 169. As a result of colonialist control, the colonial economies have remained extremely backward and the working people lead a miserable existence.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The facts show that the liberation of nations and peoples under colonial domination leads to an improvement in international relations, an increase in international co-operation and the reinforcement of world peace. 166. The peoples of the new States have convincingly shown, not only that they are capable of dispensing with the control and tutelage of the colonial Powers, and can govern themselves, but also that they are actively forging a new life and that they administer and manage their resources, their countries’ wealth, incomparably more skillfully and prudently than the colonial authorities . 167. Early this year I had the opportunity of visiting India, Indonesia, Burma and Afghanistan. I must say that I was very deeply impressed by their great achievements in raising the level of their national economies and culture.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“More than that, people are beginning to discuss ways of limiting the further influx of newly-emerging States into the United Nations. 165. As regards the Soviet Union, I can say frankly that we are glad to see a great number of new States making their appearance in the United Nations. We have always opposed and we shall continue to oppose any curtailment of the rights of peoples who have won their national independence. We share with these States the desire to preserve and strengthen peace, to create on our planet conditions for the peaceful coexistence and co-operation of countries regardless of their political and social structure, in accordance with the peaceful principles proclaimed at the Conference of African and Asia States at Bandung.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Unless this unalterable fact is recognized, there can be no realistic foreign policy in harmony with the needs of the times and corresponding to the peace-loving aspirations of the peoples. 164. Is the solution of major international problems really conceivable today without the participation of the Peopled Republic of China? Is it possible to solve these problems without the participation of India, Indonesia, Burma, Ceylon, the United Arab Republic, Iraq, Ghana, Guinea and the other States? If anyone has this idea, let him try to disregard the opinion and the votes of the representatives of the Asian, African and Latin American States here in the United Nations. It is true that the appearance of the new Asian and African States in the United Nations is giving rise to apprehension in certain Western countries.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Our time is characterized by the emancipation and national rebirth of peoples who for centuries were kept apart by the colonialists from the mainstream of human development, a process which is taking place before all our eyes. In a mere fifteen years, about 1,500 million people, or half the population of the earth, have cast off the shackles of colonialist oppression. Dozens of new national States have arisen from the ruins of the old colonial empires. 163. A new period has begun in the history of mankind, in which the peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America have begun to take an active part in determining the destiny of the whole world side by side with the peoples of Europe and North America.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“As we know, this question has been discussed repeatedly over a number of years, but the Mongolian People's Republic has not yet been admitted to membership in the United Nations. We consider that it is high time to settle this question and to admit the Mongolian People's Republic to membership in the United Nations, so that it may participate on an equal footing with other sovereign States in the discussion and solution of vital international problems. 161. By reason of its nature and its purpose, the United Nations should have the status of a universal, world-wide organization. The existence of the United Nations would cease to serve any useful purpose. If it became a one-sided organization and its function was reduced to that of the servant of a particular military alignment. 162.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“To impede the reinstatement of the People's Republic of China in its legitimate rights in the United Nations, simply because the socialist regime of that State is not to the taste of the leading circles of certain Western countries, and in particular of the United States, is to disregard the facts; it betokens the absence of any desire for a relaxation of international tension; it means that the interests of strengthening world peace and of developing international cooperation are being sacrificed to the narrow political calculations of a small group of States. This situation is inimical to peace and is degrading to the United Nations. 160. This point is also illustrated by the history of the question of the admission of the Mongolian People's Republic to membership in the United Nations.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“It is the sacred duty of the United Nations to uphold the sovereign rights of States, and to press for the re-establishment of international relations on a sound legal basis and for the ending of the arms race. 158. Unfortunately, the policy of violating the inalienable rights of peoples is still in evidence in the United Nations itself. 159. Take, for instance, the question of the representation in the United Nations of the Chinese people.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We are certain that the Congolese people themselves will be able to deal with the difficulties which have arisen and will succeed in restoring order in their country. 156. We are all witnesses to the fact that many peoples are being continually subjected to hostile acts and crude pressure by a certain group of States which seek to set at naught the legitimate interests and rights of other countries. This is why the international situation is fraught with acute conflicts, the danger of which is intensified by the mounting arms race. 157. It is quite evident that international relations cannot continue on such a basis, as that would mean a headlong descent to the abyss.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“In the opinion of the Soviet Government, we should adopt a resolution providing that only troops from African and Asian countries should be left in the Congo, that such troops should be stationed in Congolese territory only with the consent of the lawfully elected Congolese Government of Mr. Lumumba and should only be used at the discretion of that Government for the purpose of ensuring the normal functioning of the lawful Government and Parliament of the Republic of the Congo. 155. All States which wish to see the Congo free and independent in practice and not merely in theory should refrain from any act which might impair the territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of the Congo.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The Soviet Government has requested [see A/4495] the inclusion of an item entitled "Threat to the political independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of the Congo" on the agenda of the General Assembly at its fifteenth session. The Assembly should administer a rebuff to the colonialists and their followers; it should call Mr. Hammarskjold to order and ensure that he does not misuse the position of Secretary-General but carries out his functions m strict accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter and the decisions of the Security Council. 154.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“But it will break out again with even greater force, and the people, having overcome all difficulties, will then achieve complete emancipation. 151. The Soviet State and its Government welcomed and welcomes the struggle of the colonial peoples for independence and is doing all it can to give them moral and material assistance in their just fight. 152. The United Nations should call for the restoration of order in the Congo so that the Parliament lawfully elected by the Congolese people may discharge its duties and that conditions may be created for the normal functioning of the lawful Government of the Congo, led by Mr. Lumumba, which has enjoyed and still enjoys the confidence of the Congolese people. 153.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“This spurious victory of the colonialists is helping to lift the veil from the eyes of the colonial peoples, to whom it is becoming increasingly evident that, while granting formal independence, the colonialists are doing everything in their power to maintain the colonial yoke. 149. The people will not stop halfway. They are mobilizing their forces and they will act with still greater foresight and in the knowledge that the struggle for independence is a hard one, that there are many obstacles to be overcome on the way to genuine freedom and that it is necessary to learn to distinguish between true friends and enemies. 150. The struggle which has been taken up by the Congolese people cannot be halted; it can only be slowed down or checked.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“146. We have stood, we stand, and always will stand, for the right of the peoples of Africa, just as those of other continents, to establish whatever regime they please in their countries, on attaining their freedom from colonial oppression. 147. Second, we have always been and always will be against any interference by imperialists lathe domestic affairs of countries which are emancipating themselves from colonial dependence, against discreditable methods such as those used in the Congo. 148. The colonialists’ aim is to drive out the lawful Government and Parliament with the help of the countries which style themselves the "free world”, and they are anxious to celebrate their victory. But their rejoicing is premature, because theirs is a Pyrrhic victory.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“But, by putting out this story that he is a communist, the colonialists are actually helping the colonial peoples to tear off the veil which is being used to obscure their vision. Those peoples will soon see that the communist party is the only party which genuinely reflects the will of the peoples struggling for the triumph of justice, the aspirations of all peoples striving for freedom. 145. Some organs of the United States and United Kingdom Press, encouraged by certain forces, are making much of an alleged set-back which the Soviet Union has suffered in the Congo. What can one say of such absurd assertions? In the first place, we have suffered no set-back in the Congo, nor was any set-back possible, since there neither were nor could have been any of our troops in the Congo or any interference by us in that country’s domestic affairs.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The United Nations troops which were sent to assist the lawful Government at its request, occupied the airfields, took over the radio station, disorganized the life of the State and paralyzed the work of the lawful Government. These troops paved the way for the treacherous acts of the puppets in Katanga, where forces were assembled and mobilized against the Government of Patrice Lumumba, which had been elected in accordance with all the rules of democratic procedure. 144. The colonialists and their servile supporters say that Mr. Lumumba is a communist. Mr. Lumumba is, of course, no communist he is a patriot and is honestly serving his people in its struggle for freedom from the colonial yoke.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“When the colonialists realized that the Government of the Republic of the Congo, which had been legally elected and had received a vote of confidence from Parliament, had firmly embarked on an independent policy and was resolved to be guided solely by the interests of the Congolese people, they immediately resorted to every possible means of overthrowing that Government. They set out to secure the establishment of a puppet government, a government which, though ostensibly "independent", would in fact carry out the wishes of the Colonialists. 142. The colonialists tiled to bring this about by crude methods and direct? interference, as they always do. It is deplorable that; they have been doing their dirty work in the Congo through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and his staff. 143. That is a disgraceful state of affairs.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The armed aggression against the Congo has been condemned by the whole of Africa and by public opinion throughout the world. 140. It was, of course, not concern for the lives of Belgian citizens in the Congo, but the much more tangible interests of the powerful monopolies which had established themselves on Congolese soil that impelled the Belgian Government to make the senseless attempt to bring the people of this young State to its knees and to detach by force its richest province, Katanga. Raw materials for nuclear weapons such as uranium, cobalt and titanium as well as cheap labour — that is what the monopolists are afraid of losing in the Congo. That is the true motive behind the plot against the Congo, the threads of which lead from Brussels to the capitals of the other major NATO Powers. 141.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“As at that time, an independent African State was subjected to unprovoked aggression, the generally recognized principles of international relations were disregarded and a Situation was created that was fraught with serious danger to peace and not to peace in Africa alone. 139. How ludicrous and absurd are the arguments with which the aggressors attempted to justify their actions! They asserted that there would have been chaos in the Congo if the Belgian troops had not entered the country and that the Congolese people were not yet sufficiently mature for an independent existence. Such assertions could fool no one. The Africans have a proverb which runs: "Misleading the people is like trying to wrap up fire in a piece of paper".”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The United Nations must do everything in its power to remove the threat of interference from abroad that is hanging over Cuba. To allow Cuba to become a second Guatemala would be to unleash developments whose consequences it is now hardly possible to foresee. 138. Stormy developments have been taking place on the continent of Africa. The young Republic of the Congo fell a victim to aggression the third day after the proclamation of its independence. Before the eyes of the entire world, the Belgian Government tried to deprive the country of its freedom and take away what the Congolese people had been selflessly struggling to obtain for decades. An international crisis arose which took us all back to anxious days of the autumn of 1956, the days of the Suez crisis.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“For many years the fruits of the Cuban peopled toil were enjoyed not by the Cuban people but by United States monopolies. Is it therefore surprising that in 1958, for example, the per caput income in Cuba was 6.5 times lower than in the United States? This telling fact speaks for itself. 136. A new chapter has now begun in Cuba. After expelling the dictator Batista, the Cuban people freed itself from foreign exploitation, took its destiny into its own hands, firmly telling the United States monopolists that they had been robbing the country long enough and that the people themselves would enjoy the fruits of their labour and their soil. 137. Thus, Cuba's alleged offence consists merely in the fact that the freedom-loving and fearless Cuban people have decided to lead an independent life.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“As you know, before the victory of the popular revolution, all branches of the Cuban economy were wholly dominated by United States monopolies which earned vast profits from exploiting the working people of Cuba and the wealth of their fertile soil. 135. Some people in the United States occasionally like to boast that the standard of living in their country is higher than that in other countries. There is no gainsaying the fact that the standard of living in the United States is now higher than in Cuba, but why is that so? Is it because the Cuban people are less industrious or because the Cuban Boil is less fertile? No, this of course is not the reason. The Cuban people are well known for their industry and for their attachment to their country and to their soil. The explanation is entirely different.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Fewer and fewer people are prepared to accept the present state of affairs in which any manifestation of the free will of the peoples, any tendency to pursue an independent policy, be it on the part of Indonesia, Iraq or Guinea, of neutral Austria or of little Iceland, acting to defend its economic interests, encounters fierce opposition and brings down thunder and lightning from the Powers grouped together in NATO — this Holy Alliance of our day, which has assumed the ungrateful mission of exorcizing the spirit of freedom in whatever part of the globe it may appear. 133. The courageous Republic of Cuba has become a target for all kinds of attacks, intrigues, subversive activities, economic aggression and, finally, ill disguised threats of intervention. 134. United States relations with Cuba are illuminating.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The popular movement for peace and international co-operation assumes different forms and achieves different results from one country to another, but its significance, causes and aims remain identical: it is a movement of protest against the policy of war and provocation, against the debilitating arms race and against the imposition upon peoples of an alien and hostile will. 132.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Like a deep-seated form of acute infection in a living organism, these bases disrupt the normal political and economic life of the States upon which they have been foisted. They hinder the establishment of normal relations between those States and their neighbours. How, indeed, can there be any question of normal relations if the people of these neighbouring countries cannot sleep peacefully, if they have to live with the threat of being subjected to an annihilating blow whenever the United States militarists take it into their heads to embark on fresh acts of provocation? 131. The United Nations cannot fail to heed the increasingly insistent demands of the peoples who are alarmed by the machination of the enemies of peace.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Fighting for peace means boldly exposing all actions fraught with the danger of war, no matter with whom they originate. This is a good method of clearing the international atmosphere. Experience shows that, if we pander to and indulge those who organize provocation, the ultimate result is the outbreak of war. This has happened many times in the course of history, with dire consequences for the fate of peoples. 129. The flights by the United States spy aircraft are also instructive in another respect. They have shown up the danger to peace presented by the network of United States bases in which dozens of States in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America are enmeshed. 130.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We are merely striving to ensure adherence to the most elementary rules of intercourse among States. Our only objective is strict observance of the United Nations Charter which rules out methods of violence, brigandage and aggression and demands respect for the sovereign rights of all States as the basis for lasting peace on earth. Is that asking too much? Is that not the wish of all honest men and women on this earth, who care for the fate of the world and for the sovereignty and independence of their own countries? 128. The allies of the United States sometimes reproach us for criticizing the United I States Government too harshly. But if we were to assume an air of benevolence and to give those who organize acts of international provocation, an indulgent pat on the back, we should be doing d disservice to the cause of peace.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Does it want to create an incident that would be followed by rockets going into action? One aircraft, then another and such an incident has virtually been staged. Or is the United States for the time being merely pursuing a policy of feeling out the strength of the other side? 126. Whatever the explanation, one thing remains perfectly obvious: the operations of those responsible for organizing the acts of provocation are designed to create an atmosphere in which the peoples would live in constant fear. Even if such an atmosphere suits the Government of the United States, it certainly does not suit the Soviet Union or the overwhelming majority of other States. We have striven and shall strive to banish all forms of lawlessness from international relations. 127. The Soviet Union is not making any exorbitant demands.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“I think that every one with any common sense realizes that the aircraft was not bringing us anything for our good. 123. Incidentally, Mr. Eisenhower, the President of the United States, said in his statement yesterday [868th meeting] that the Soviet forces had shot down a United States RB-47. I do not propose to enter into an argument on this question because we have already given a detailed exposition of the facts of the case and of our attitude. 124. Surprisingly, however, though I listened to the Presidents statement carefully, I did not Hear a single word about the U-2, which was also shot down over Soviet territory. What is the explanation? Has the President perhaps forgotten about that aircraft? 125. What, in fact, is the objective of the United States in dispatching its aircraft into the air space of the USSR?”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“There are some confirmed fanciers of other people’s property who will never take a lesson to heart. If they get a good hiding, they attribute their misfortune entirely to their own carelessness or the use of the wrong tools. So they make a fresh attempt to break into the house, this time through another entrance and with a different set of tools. 122. The situation with regard to the organizers of spy flights by the United States Air Force is somewhat similar. I do not know what lesson they learnt from the U-2 incident, but exactly two months later, on 1 July 1960, they sent another military aircraft, an RB-47, to our country. It was equipped with guns and special reconnaissance instruments. It flew in to our territory from the direction of the Kola Peninsula. What was its purpose? What was it seeking to achieve?”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The aggressive intrusion into our country by a United States aircraft and the whole course of the United States Governments subsequent behaviour showed the peoples that they were dealing with a calculated policy on the part of the United States Government, which was trying to substitute brigandage for international law and treachery for honest negotiations between sovereign and equal States. 120. The entire world knows what a heavy blow this policy dealt to the cause of easing international tension. In particular, it was responsible for the breakdown of the Summit Conference in Paris, at which the most important current problems were to have been discussed. Under different circumstances, the Conference might have laid the foundations for healthier co-operation among States. 121.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“As soon as the policy of easing international tension begins to yield tangible results, they immediately resort to extreme measures in order to ensure that the peoples should feel no relief; they strain every nerve to plunge the world back again and again into an atmosphere of gloom and to exacerbate international tension. 118. We saw a dangerous manifestation of the work of these forces last spring when the aircraft of one of the largest States Members of the United Nations, the United States of America, treacherously invaded, the air space of the Soviet Union and that of other States. What is more, the United States has elevated such violations of international law into a principle of deliberate State policy. 119.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Agreement was reached on holding a summit conference. Definite progress was being made in the negotiations on the discontinuance of nuclear and thermo-nuclear tests. All this raised high hopes in the hearts of the people of all countries. 117. No one can dispute the fact that the Soviet Union has been unsparing in its efforts to ensure the continuation of this welcome trend in the development of international relations. But the sinister forces which profit from the maintenance of international tension are clinging tenaciously to their positions. Though only a handful of individuals is involved, they are quite powerful and exert a strong influence on the policy of their respective States. A major effort is therefore required to break their resistance.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We should like to tell them that they have taken their rightful places as full and equal Members of the United Nations. 115. The countries which have cast off the burden of colonialism are an immense and active force for peace. From now on, the young States of Africa and the Mediterranean will make their distinguished contribution to the solution of the important and complex issues before the United Nations. 116. A year ago, I had the honour of making a statement from this high rostrum [799th meeting]. At that time, promising prospects of normalizing the international situation were opening up before mankind. Contacts between responsible statesmen in the various countries were increasing. The General Assembly adopted a resolution [1378 (XTV)] on general and complete disarmament. The Ten-Nation Committee on Disarmament began its work.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The capacities of the United Nations have now been reinforced, thus increasing the responsibility it bears. I have already referred to the fact that a large group of young independent African States has joined the United Nations. I am happy to have this opportunity, on behalf of the Soviet people, to extend a warm, sincere and heartfelt welcome to the States recently admitted to membership in the United Nations and to wish them prosperity and success. 114. The road the representatives of these States have travelled to the United Nations has not been easy. The peoples of these countries have endured oppression, deprivations and suffering. They have reached here after a stubborn struggle for their independence and freedom and our welcome today is all the more cordial on that account.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“We trust that the decisions reached by the present session of the General Assembly will bring us closer to the realization of peace and justice — the goal of all mankind. 111. There are no higher tasks than those confronting the United Nations. It is in a position to take vital decisions with regard to averting the threat of a new war and protecting the lawful rights and security of all peoples; it can help to institute productive international co-operation. 112. The fact that a number of States are represented here by statesmen occupying key positions in their own countries demonstrates the gravity and urgency of the problems submitted for consideration at this session. 113. We have embarked on the consideration of the problems which are troubling all peoples today.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The peoples of all countries — workers, peasants, intellectuals and the bourgeoisie, excluding a small handful of militarists and monopolists — want not war but peace, and peace alone. And if, therefore, the peoples actively fight to tie the hands of the militarist and monopolist Circles, peace can be ensured. 109. Indeed it cannot be otherwise, since life cannot be reduced to simple geometrical rules, for life itself depends on the effective power of the peace-loving States and on the ardent sympathy and support of the overwhelming majority of-the human race. 110. The United Nations was established in the name of the victory of peace and tranquillity, in the service of peace and the security of nations.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“This school stands for fanning the flames of the cold war, for the unrestricted accumulation of armaments and for the destruction of every basis for international cooperation, with all the dangerous consequences which this, entails. 107. These two lines of policy in international relations have long been in opposition. Although parallel lines never meet in elementary geometry they may come into collision in international affairs. That would be a fearful moment indeed. Only ten or fifteen years ago, few could predict the outcome of the struggle between these two lines of international policy. In the year 1960, however, only the blind can fail to see how the majority of peoples are becoming more and more positively and plainly convinced of the need to maintain peace. 108.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“I am not, of course, referring here to differences in social systems, since this is a domestic issue, which can and must be settled only by nations and States themselves. 105. This development in international relations, which is fraught with conflict and complications, las not arisen overnight. Even in the early post-war years there were two clearly antagonistic schools of thought on world affairs. One stood for the reduction of international tension, the halting of the arms race, the development of international co-operation and the elimination of war from the life of society — a fine and laudable approach. It is, indeed, for the triumph of justice that man lives on earth. 106. There is, however, a second school of thought, about which we have no right to remain silent.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Some rightly say that the world has been given new horizons, unlimited opportunities for the creation of abundant material wealth and for the ample satisfaction of human needs. With no less justification, others point to the great danger of scientific and technical achievements being used, not for these beneficial purposes, but primarily for the production of appalling means of destruction. These means of destruction are not being used at the present time. But, in the last analysis, they are produced to be used. 104. This argument between optimists and pessimists reflects the facts of our times. The most important of these facts is the conflict between two trends or lines of policy in international relations.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Yet can it lie said that the world is well ordered in every respect, or that it is free from poverty and deprivation? We should again reflect on the fact that, according to United Nations statistics, hundreds of millions of men and women on different continents drag out an existence at starvation or near-starvation level. Our world is not free from fear for the future; it realizes the dangers of the division into military alliances and of the continuously accelerating nuclear arms race. The great achievements of man’s genius may be used either for man’s benefit or to his detriment. This is the difficult choice confronting us. 103. Every intelligent individual gives some thought to what scientific progress, what this great twentieth century, is bringing mankind.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The peoples desire a worthwhile life and are fighting to secure it. 100. Victory has already been won in many countries and lands. But we cannot rest on our laurels, for we know that tens of millions of human beings are still languishing in colonial slavery and are suffering grave hardships. 101. They are doing so in a period which we call one of great and promising scientific discoveries. With his brain and hands, man has created spaceships which circle the earth. He is already able to send men far beyond the limits of our planet. We have split the atom and are penetrating the mysteries of protein structure. We travel on and above the earth at astounding speed; the extent of our knowledge is a source of amazement even to ourselves. 102. It might seem that all was well with the world.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Many of the things some people considered, not so long ago, to be immovable and eternal have outlived their time and have ceased to exist. Anew, more progressive and more equitable order has become established. Our epoch has brought swift changes in the way of life of human societies, an unprecedented growth in our power over the forces of nature and an unparalleled advance towards a more progressive social order. Yet although we live in the twentieth century, traces of past centuries and, indeed, remnants of barbarism, are still in evidence. However, one of the important features, indeed the salient feature, of this epoch is the awakening of formerly backward, downtrodden and oppressed peoples. 99. Our. century is the century of the struggle for freedom, the century in which nations are liberating themselves from foreign domination.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“The representatives of new Members of the United Nations will soon be with us; then the walls of this hall will, so to speak, recede to accommodate a still greater number of lands and countries. We should all wholeheartedly welcome this development, because we are anxious that all States in the world should be represented in the United Nations. 97. Naturally, our thoughts are now focused on the matters which most trouble and disturb mankind. Perhaps it is precisely here in this Assembly that the world is seen in all its diversity and, of course, in all its contradictions. It has fallen to our lot to live in the stormiest and yet the most splendid period in the history of mankind; future generations will envy us. 98.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)
“Anybody who ascends this rostrum and looks around this hall must, I think, appreciate what an eminent and responsible gathering he is addressing. 95. This should be the most responsible meeting of State representatives in the world. It is not for nothing that it is known as the General Assembly of the United Nations, I need not go into the meaning of that title at this juncture; I would merely like to stress these two words — United Nations. Many nations are represented in this hall, and these nations should be united not only by the walls of this building but by the highest common interests of mankind. 96. The representatives of almost 100 States have met here today to consider major international problems.”
1960-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 15 (1960)