SOVIET WALKS OUT OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Grey River Argus, 18 February 1949, Page 5

SOVIET WALKS OUT OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

(Rec. 10.45) LONDON, February 17. Russia walked out of the United Nations World

Health Organisation in Geneva yesterday—complaining that membership of the Organisation was too expensive. With her went her satellites, Byelorussia and Ukraine. All three sent identical telegrams to Doctor Chisholm, the Canadian directorgeneral of the Organisation.

Dr. Brook Chisholm, executive head of the organisation, said the three Governments announced their resignations in similarly-worded telegrams. They complained that, “Tasks connected with international measures for the prevention and control of disease and with the spread of medical science achievements are not being accomplished satisfactorily by the organisation.” Dr. Chisholm said he refused _to accept the resignations, demanding that the three Governments should submit them to the executive board of the Health Organisation, which will meet in Geneva on February 21. It was too early to criticise tne organisation after only four months of organisational work in 1948 and a few weeks in 1949, he said. .He had sent a telegram to all the member Governments seeking concerted action to persuade the three members to reconsider their decision. Soviet Complaint Against Expense and Measures (Rec. 9.50) LONDON, Feb. 17 The Soviet “we quit” telegram to the chairman of the World Health Organisation said: “The swollen administrative machinery has involved expenses too heavy for the member states to bear.”

The telegram also said that the Soviet Health Ministry was not satisfied

with the measures being taken to prevent and to control disease. Russia’s Subscriptions Never Paid (Rec. 10.45). LONDON, February 17. Referring to the Russian defection from the U.N.O. World Health Organisation, the correspondent, of the Daily Herald at Geneva points out that* this year’s contribution from the three Soviet republics towards the World Health Organisation’s millionpcund budget should have cbeen eighty-seven thousand five hundred sterling, but it has not been paid—in fact, Russia has never paid her subscription. Britain’s contribution was £133,000 sterling. Uniled Nations officials at Lake Success said to-day that they regarded the Russian withdrawal from the Health Organisation with serious concern, but they did not appear to feel that it portends a Russian walkout from the United Nations itself. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Trygve Lie, is said to be greatly perturbed over the development. The organisation is one of the principal specialised agencies of the United Nations and the onlyone to which Russia belonged. United Nations officials considered is one of the most successful United Nations experiments in international collaboration.