U.N.O. ATTACKED

Evening Star, Issue 25940, 4 November 1946, Page 7

U.N.O. ATTACKED

A COSTLY ORGANISATION

M. LIE’S HEATED PROTEST

. NEW YORK, November 2. Russia sharply attacked the growth of the United Nations secretariat, particularly the public information division, thus provoking au angry lecture on economics by the Secretary-General, M. Trygve Lie, during a meeting of the General'Assembly’s Administrative and Budgetary Committee. The Russian and British delegates joined the United States in urging economy. The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, M. Feodor Gusey, ' caustically criticised- the lengthening .list of United Nations employees and said it should be pared by between 30 and 40 per cent. “ The information divi-

sion has ground out 1,000,000. pages of various documents. Such a flood could drown this organisation and take .its mind ■ away from more serious problems,” he said. After the British delegate had added his plea for economy, M. Lie asked for the floor. Glaring at the Big Four delegates, he declared: “If you want the best people and services in the world, you must take the costs that go with them.. Who has decided how many projects the United .Nations should-institute? I have not decided the number of committees, sub-com-mittees, and commissions. As your humble servant I have carried out your orders. If these things have been overdone, or anything is wrong, it is not my fault nor the fault of my assistants.”

M. Lie reserved the right to reply in detail later, and the discussion was adjourned.