UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE OPENS

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1945, Page 3

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE OPENS

GREAT GATHERING IN SAN FRANCISCO PRESIDENT TRUMAN’S RADIO ADDRESS

(Received April 26, 9.35 p.m.). SAN FRANCISCO, April 25. The Opera House auditorium blazed with colour when three thousand U.N.C.1.0. delegates, advisers, consultants, and cameramen renorted and assembled to see the first steps taken in forming an organisation to banish war. The colours ranged from a sky blue stage backdrop through splendid golds, and rich creams to the red of the auditorium seats in the body of the hall. Sombre tones of wartime khaki and blue uniforms provided a contrast. Of the best-known delegates, Mr Molotov arrived first. The whole Soviet delegation lined up behind him as he walked. He picked a place two seats from the aisle. While half a dozen of his delegation crowded past to empty seats beyond, a short distance away General Smuts sat thoughtfully fingering the head of his cane, possibly harking back to the Versailles conference which failed in the objective of removing th e scourge of war.

Mr Eden arrived about 4.20 p.m., soon after Mr Molotov. Messrs Eden and Molotov and Dr. Soong had no nart in the official ceremonies, which were reserved for the United States, the host. Government of the four sponsoring Powers.

President. Truman. Mr Stettinius, Governor Warren of California and Mayor Roger Lapham of San Francisco, were the only speakers. The Opera Flouse stage was decorated with a severity of line, but lavish colour. Well in front of the blue backdrop stood a curving row of four golden columns, which some said stood for the “four freedoms”, and others said they were for the four sponsoring Powers. Between the columns, flags of forty-six United Nations rested on white standards. Delegations filed steadily into the great hall, and just before staring time, the building was filled with the hum of voices in many languages, symbolising unity of purpose, even if opinions are divergent. Representatives of each American armed service, men and women, marched from the wings and took their station before the flags and behind the speakers’ chairs. Then Mr Stettinius and his party apneared on the stage. Seeing the delegates rise, Mr Stettinius requested them to sit down for a moment’s silent prayer. He himself look his chair. Then he rose,, arranged his coat with one hand, and said; “Delegates: The President of the United Sta.tes. There was a brief pause. Thon President Truman’s voice came through loudspeakers in a broadcast from Washington. His voice was firm, and whs easily audible. The President spoke rapidly. His address was not interrupted by applause. PRESIDENT TRUMAN’S MESSAGE.

Speaking by radio to the delegates at the San Francisco conference, President Truman said: The world has experienced a revival of the old faith in the everlasting moral force of justice. At no time in history has there been a move important ' conference, nor a more necessary meeting, than this one you are ‘opening to-day. On behalf of the American people, I extend you a most hearty welcome. President. Roosevelt appointed an able delegation to represent the United States. I have complete confidence in its chairman, Mr. Stettinius, and his distinguished colleagues. They have my confidence. They have my suppoi t in the name of a great humanitarian, one who is surely with us to-day in spirit. .1 earnestly appeal to each and every one of you to rise above personal interests, and adhere to those lofty principles which benefit all mankind. Mr. Roosevelt gave his life while trying to perpetuate those high ideals. This conference owes its eixstence, in a large part, to the vision, foresight and determination of Franklin Roosevelt. Each of you can remember other courageous champions who also made the supreme sacrifice in serving under your flag. They gave their lives so that others might live in security. They died to ensure justice. We must work and live to guarantee justice for all. You members of the conference are to be the architects of a better world. In your hands rests our future. By your labours at this conference, we shall know if suffering humanity is to achieve a just, lasting peace. Let us labour to achieve a peace which will be really worthy of their great sacrifice. We must make certain, by your work here, that another war will be impossible. We, who have lived through the torture and tragedy of two world conflicts, must realise the magnitude of the problem before us. We do not need far-sighted vision to understand the trend of recent history. Its significance is all 100 clear. With ever increasing brutality and destruction, modern warfare, if uncheckel. would ultimately crush civilisation. We will have a choice between alternatives—continuation of international chaos or re-establishment of a world organisation for the enforcement of peace. This conference will devote its energies and its labour exculsiye]y to the single problem of setting tip an essential organisation to keep the peace. You are to write a fundamental charter. Our sole objective is to create a structure. We must provide machinery which will make future peace, not only possible, but. certain. We represent the overwhelming majority of all mankind. We speak for people who have endured the savagest and most, devastating war ever inflicted upon innocent men, women and children. We hold a powerful mandate from our people. They believe we will fulfill this obligation. We must prevent, if human kind, heart, and hope can prevent, it. a repetition of a disaster rfrom which the entire world will suffer for years to come. We must. not. ■ continue to sacrifice the flower of our youth merely to check madmen those who, in every age, plan world domination. Sacrifices of our youth to-day must lead, through your efforts to the building of a mighty combination of nations, founded upon justice and peace. Nothing is more essential to the future peace of the world than continued co-operation of the nations which had to muster ’he force necessary to defeat the conspiracy of the Axis Powers to dominate the world. While those g y e a t states have a special responsibility to enforce, their responsibility is based on obligations resting upon ai States, large and small, not to use force in international relations except in defence of law. The respo - sibility of the great States is to sen • not to dominate, the people of 1 world. We fully realise to-dav tna victory in war required the . a united effort. Certainly, victory peace calls for, and must ,L| V equal effort. For lasting men of good will must unite ‘. . llv ganise. Moreover, if oui 1> policies should ever be ‘ , an by belligerent leaders as ™ anis ation evidence of weakness ° u ß tolv pmwo establish must be pared to meet any cbtulei R ■ d ] President Trunrnn “Differences betwee’’’ n r(?main in tween nations will hl _ limits raet. if held within actually f-uel. «n ss beg . and mu-

tual understanding. In recent years, our enemies have clearly demonstrated the disaster which follows when freedom of thought is no longer tolerated. The essence of our problem here is to provide sensible machinery for the settlement of disputes between nations. Without this, peace cannot exist. We can no longer permit any nation, or group of nations to attempt to settle their arguments with bombs and bayonets. If we continue to abide by such decisions, we will be forced to accept the fundamental , philosophy of our enemies, that ‘might makes right.’ To deny this premise—and we most certainly do —we are obliged to provide the necessary means to refute it. We must once and for all reverse that order, and prove by our acts conclusively that right has might. If we do not want to die together' in war, we must learn to live together in peace. With firm faith in our hearts to sustain us along the hard road to victory, we will find our way to secure peace. For the ultimate benefit of all humanity, we must build a new world—a far better world—one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected.” OPENING ADDRESS. BY U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received April 26, 8.0 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, April 25. In his speech, opening the United Nations Conference on international organisation, Mr. Stettinius (United States Secretary of State), who is presiding, paid a tribute to Mr. Roosevelt’s great work for the conference. Mr. Stettinius added: “In their purpose, to build an enduring structure of v?orld peace, the people of' the United States believe they are firmly united with the other United Nations. They are united with the large countries which, of necessity, have had to bear the main burden of winning victory over the common enemies. They are united with smaller countries, of which so many have suffered the agony and destruction of conquest—all due to a failure by peace-loving peoples to unite in time against aggression. The vital interests of each united nation require all of the United Nations to work together to make peace and freedom secure. No one nation can afford anything less than success in this endeavour. Each knows too well what the consequences of failure would be. It is with this clear understanding of what realities demand of us that we fortify our high vision of a permanent structure of organised peace. To us who are Americans, it is a hopeful symbol that this conference has met in San Francisco, to which, with faith and courage, American pioneers opened a new path westward across a wilderness. Now, the deepest hope and the highest purpose of all mankind—enduring peace—are here committed to our hands. We are pioneers on a new road. There will be many obstacles and dangers. We, too, must call on the courage and faith of those who came to California before us, across a wilderness, to the shores of this great ocean, named for peace. The prayers of the people of the worTaj are with us. Thus fortified, and with the guidance of Almighty God, we must, and shall, fulfil the purpose for which we have come together. At the conference officials’ request, i the delegates sat under brilliant floodlights streaming from either side of the hall. Only a flicker of noise came from an occasional photographer’s flashbulb, and the official stenographer’s machine. A breeze off the stage ruffled the Union Jack and the Star's and Stripes, and stirred the colours of other flags along the line. Armv cars, Navy buses and limousines brought the delegates to the hall through streets blocked from other traffic. Outside the auditorium thousands of spectators waited all day for a glimpse of the world leaders as they entered the Opera House. Intermittent rain did not deter them. Inside the hall the delegations were seated in roughly; alphabetical order, with. Australia in the first row at the right. Movie and still cameramen were present in great numbers, filling most of the boxes, and rejoicing in the chance to photograph more of the world’s great statesmen than since Versailles. Above them were 24 spotlights, capable of making the stage as bright as a Hollywood set. Newspapermen filled some boxes, and part of the dress circle just above the line of boxes. S'eats in the gallery were occupied by those of the general public lucky enough to get a ticket for one of the world’s most significant spectacles. A band off the stage helped to break the tedium of waiting, playing appropriate airs, among them being “Stouthearted Men”. High School girls, in middy blouses, qcted as ushers. Their explanation of the four golden pillars was that they represented'the “four freedoms”, and that garlands linking them represent- [ ed Peace, Unity, and Victory. The opening ceremony lasted 31 minutes.

An announcement intimated that all the Chiefs of the delegations will meet at 10.30 a.m. to-morrow, and that a plenary session is being held at 3.30 p.m. Mr Molotov remained incommunicado, again, as far as the press is concerned? A cordon of fifteen hefty Soviet citizens surrounded him whenever he appeared in public. The difference between Soviet and American customs was shown when the grimlooking Mr Molotov appeared with a bodyguard at the Big Four meeting in the Fairmont Hotel. Mr Stettinius and Mr Eden walked through the lobby, smiling and conversing, without anv apparent special protection. (Rec. 10.30). NEW YORK. April 26. Two Central New York religious leaders joined to-day in criticising the absence of any opening prayer for the S'an Francisco Conference.

Bishop. Foory, Roman Catholic Bishop, of Syracuse, said that it was unthinkable that the conference should have been opened without any prayer. Bishop Peabody, Episcopal Bishop of Central New York, recalled that -no prayers were said at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. It. accordingly, filled him with regret and with apprehension for the future, as he considered the possibility of history repeating itself. At San Francisco, observers pointed out that a multitude of religions were represented by the attending delegates, and the fact is that som a have no religion, which posed a difficult problem on the form of prayer. The “New York Times” placed before the U.N.C.1.0. delegates at breakfast on Tuesday, a four-page edition of the “Times” published in New York at 2 a.m. on the same day. It was printed in San Francisco'from engravings made from wire photos of lour pages. This experiment in facsimile” reproduction is the first of its kind in the history of journalism. The four pages were photographed in half pages, and transmitted in the same way as telephotos. After receipt, the half pages were developed, printed, placed together and rephotographed by the ordinary ’halftone process..