“PREMIERSHIP OF THE WORLD”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21934, 31 January 1946, Page 5

“PREMIERSHIP OF THE WORLD”

NEW CHIEF OF UNO CAREER LABOUR LAW EXPERT TEAM-WORK ORGANISER (10 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 30. M. Trygve Lie has accepted the Secretary - Generalship of the United Nations. The burly Trygve Lie three times was tempted to leave the path which has now led him to the “premiership of the world” as the Secretary-Generalship of the UNO has been called, says the Press Association’s diplomatic correspondent.

He was first tempted 30 years ago when, as a 19-old-old youth, he showed exceptional promise as a wrestler. He however, as a member of the Democratic Youth Association, was already wrestling with politics in general and, particularly, the legal side of Labour politics. M. Lie, as legal adviser to the Norwegian Trades Union Council from 1922-1935, became one of the bestknown international experts on Labour law. This resulted in a second tempting offer, namely, to become Professor of Labour Law in Olso University. He declined the offer and accepted the post of Minister of Justice and set a new record in Norwegian politics by surviving all the subsequent political crises. Efficient Administrator M. Lie was Minister of Supply at the outbreak of war and handled the post so efficiently that Norway was able to live much more comfortably than would

otherwise have been the case during the first year of the occupation. He went to London after the Germans invaded Norway and placed 4,000,000 tons of shipping at the Allied shipping pool’s disposal. M. Lie, after returning to Norway, joined the Coalition Government, later joining the new Labour Government.

The third occasion on which he might have been sidetracked from the present honour was a fortnight ago when he was unsuccessfully nominated for the presidency of UNO. M. Lie was born in 1896. He has an outstanding reputation for getting people together and persuading them to work as a team. He told the ninth plenary meeting of the United Nations that without the realisation that peace is indivisible they could not hope for useful results. Opponent of Power Politics M. Lie, as an opponent of Power politics, warned the Assembly that one of the United Nations’ most important tasks was to get the poison of Nazism and Fascist out of the world’s system and achieve acceptance by all nations of the ideal of real democracy. It was understood before M. Lie left London that he would accept the Secretary-Generalship if called upon, says The Times’ diplomatic correspondent. The Security Council’s decision was expected because it was known that the Big Five representatives on Monday agreed to his nomination. They previously had been divided for several days. Britain and the United States supported the Canadian Ambassador at Washington, Mr. Lester Pearson. Russia at first favoured the Yugoslav Ambassador to Washington, M. Simic. M. Lie won the day because of his own capabilities and also the fact that the choice of a Norwegian rules out any suggestion that a single Power or group of Powers will gain an advantage from the appointment. M. Lie has more than once declared that Norway occupies a strategic position between the West and Russia.