16. Before turning to the substance of my statement, may I offer the Byelorussian delegation’s profound condolences to the delegation of Ceylon, and through it to the Government and people of Ceylon, on the tragic death of their Prime Minister, Mr. Solomon Bandar anaike. We are all aware of Mr. Bandaranaike’s great contribution to the attainment and consolidation of Ceylon’s independence and to its peaceable policy of non-participation in military blocs. We are also well aware of the major role played by Mr. Bandaranaike in the fight against colonialism, the strengthening of Asian solidarity and the application of the famous Bandungprinciples. Prime Minister Bandaranaike’s service to the cause of peace will never be erased from our memory.
17. The fourteenth session of the United Nations General Assembly has opened at a time of marked improvement in the international situation. During the past year, we have witnessed events which can rightly be called historic. Few incidents in the history of international relations have been acclaimed with such unanimity as the agreement between the Governments of the Soviet Union and the United States of America on the visit of Mr. Khrushchevto the United States and that of Mr. Eisenhower to the USSR. Not only their own peoples, but the peoples of all countries had been insisting that contact should be established at the highest level between the leading statesmen of the USSR and the ^United States. Today we are witnessing the satisfaction of this demand, which reflects the peoples’ desire for peace.
18. We do not of course expect miracles. But we hope and believe that this will inaugurate anew era in international relations and that mutual understanding will be established through this breach in the wall of mistrust.
19. We welcome the statement of the Heads of Government of the USSR and the United States published in yesterday's "communique" on the inadmissibility of force as a means of settling international disputes. All countries must learn to live at peace with one another, since, in these times of nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles, no other alternative is possible. Reality itself now confronts us with a choice — either the peaceful coexistence of the two systems, or a nuclear war, which would bring incalculable disasters upon all mankind.
20. On 18 September of this year [799th meeting] we, the representatives to the General Assembly, listened with earnest attention to the historic speech of Mr. Khrushchev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, a speech permeated with a fervent desire to secure that priceless treasure, lasting peace throughout the world. We welcome the statement of the Head of the Soviet Government that the warmth infused into USSR-United States relations will help to disperse the ominous clouds which not only darken relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, but also cast their shadow over other parts of the globe.
21. We also welcome President Eisenhower's repeated expressions of the hope that the exchange of views with the Head of the Soviet Government will help to bring about a thaw in the relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Let us hope that the exchange of visits between Mr. Khrushchev and Mr. Eisenhower will contribute to the success of subsequent meetings of heads of government.
22. All the nations of the world fervently desire peace. Can peace be preserved and strengthened? Undoubtedly — by ending the "cold war” and the armaments race, by sweeping away the aftermath of the Second World War, by prohibiting atomic and hydrogen weapons and by solving, the problem of disarmament; that is the right way to preserve and safeguard world peace.
23. The solution of these problems is, of course, no simple matter. But the preservation of peace is well worth an earnest effort to overcome all obstacles. The whole of mankind therefore looks to the fourteenth session of the General Assembly with great hope and expects from it, not mere words, but decisive action in the interests of peace. The representatives of more than eighty States attending this session of the Assembly must not miss the ample opportunities now afforded to them for the satisfactory settlement of a number of major problems included in the session's agenda.
24. The programme of general and complete disarmament proposed by Mr. Khrushchev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, seeks to preclude the very possibility of resorting to war as a means of settling international disputes. General and complete disarmament is indeed that course which leads to the establishment of a truly stable peace among nations. No international problem has been the subject of so much protracted negotiation as the reduction of armaments and armed forces and the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons. Unfortunately, the disarmament problem still remains unsolved. The armaments race has now assumed unprecedented proportions and, in view of the development of powerful means of mass destruction, the stockpiling of such weapons and the existence of numerous military alliances, it constitutes a particularly serious threat to peace.
25. There are still influential quarters where any genuine relaxation of international tension or any practical disarmament programme is -unwelcome. These people will not hear of such relaxation and make every effort to intensify the "cold war" and the armaments race, which imposes a heavy burden on the workers.
26. In his book The Great Giveaway, the realities of foreign aid, the American author Eugene W. Castle writes: "From the year 1792, when the first session of the 1st Congress convened, to 1950”, i.e., 158 years, "... the Government collected $406 billion in taxes. From 1950 through 1956, both fiscal years included, the Government collected $433 billion in taxes.”
27. The headlong armaments race in the NATO countries alone has resulted in NATO's military expenditure totalling more than $500,000 million ill the ten years that organization has been in existence, and its expenditure is increasing each year. The direct military expenditure of the NATO countries in 1958 alone amounted to $60,000 million, that is, 60 per cent of tie military expenditure of all the countries of the world.
28. According to the calculations of economists, the sum of only $1,000 million would pay for the construction of more than 200 fully equipped hospitals, 100 large power stations or hundreds of thousands of new homes.
29. It is common knowledge that the armaments race serves the interests of only a few large monopolies, which derive fabulous profits from it. Thus, on 20 January 1959, The New York Times estimated that "corporate profits for the year [1959] will total $47 billion, an increase of almost 29 per 0601" over the previous year. Last August, the magazine US News and World Report said: "Today, defense is big business — the biggest business in the country”.
30. In the Byelorussian delegation's opinion, the Soviet Government's declaration on general and complete disarmament [A/4219], submitted for the consideration of the General Assembly, represents a realistic and constructive approach to the solution of the urgent problem of disarmament, which is a matter of vital concern to every nation. The proposals on general and complete disarmament in three stages over a period of four years, contained in this declaration, offer a genuine opportunity for establishing an effective system of international control.
31. We entirely agree that a system of general and complete control would require the creation of an international control body in which all States would participate, and whose functions would conform to the needs of the successive stages of disarmament, the ultimate objective being general and complete disarmament and general and complete control.
32. The disarmament programme proposed by the Soviet Union gives a clear and comprehensive answer to the Claim of the opponents of disarmament that cessation of the manufacture of war materials would have a detrimental effect on the economic situation in their countries. The destruction of the means of waging war would make it impossible to pursue any policy other than that of peace, and the cessation of armaments manufacture would release vast financial and material resources, which would be used to enable people to enjoy a rich and happy life.
33. General and complete disarmament would make it possible to extend considerable economic aid to underdeveloped countries. Freed for all time from the burden of armaments, mankind could make giant strides in economic and cultural progress.
34. We note with satisfaction that many representatives have given serious consideration to the problem of disarmament and have agreed in principle with the assessment of that problem made by the Head of the USSR Government, Mr. Khrushchev.
35. All the States Members of the United Nations now have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate by deeds that their professions of love for peace are not empty words. Acceptance of the USSR proposal for general and complete disarmament would be most convincing proof that these States have no aggressive intentions. The current session of the Assembly would indeed be a historic one if the proposals set forth in the USSR Government's declaration on general and complete disarmament were exhaustively discussed and appropriate action taken on them, in the interests of peace and the security of nations.
36. The question of the cessation of nuclear weapon tests is still the focus of public interest throughout the world, and not without reason. Peace-loving peoples in all countries regard the cessation of nuclear tests not only as a means of eliminating a serious threat to the lives and health of millions of people, but also as the first step towards the cessation of the armaments race. I should not think there are many people today who would deny the prime importance of settling this problem, which concerns the vital interest of all mankind.
37. True to its policy of peace, the USSR Government has consistently and resolutely pressed for the cessation of atomic weapon tests. It will be recalled that, on 31 March 1958, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR took the initiative in decreeing the unilateral cessation of atomic and hydrogen weapon test by the Soviet Union. Last summer, the Soviet Government again declared that the Soviet Union would not be the first to carry out any nuclear weapon test. We should like to hope that, this time, the United States and the United Kingdom will give proof of their good will by not resuming their own nuclear tests.
38. On 31 October 1958, a conference of representatives of the USSR, the United States and the United Kingdom opened at Geneva for the purpose of drafting an agreement on the cessation of nuclear weapon tests. So far, many draft articles have been agreed upon at this conference, but, through no fault of the Soviet Union, final agreement has not yet been reached on this important matter.
39. In his speech here, Mr. Herter, the United States Secretary of State, tried to lay the blame on the Soviet Union for the failure of the Geneva conference to produce the hoped-for, results. We would remind Mr. Herter that it was not the Soviet Union, but the United States, which tried to disrupt the work of that conference last January by introducing the so-called "paper on seismic data", and that it was not the Soviet Union, but the United States, which used every possible pretext to delay the work of the conference. Mr. Herter must be aware of the statement made by Senator Humphrey, on 18 August 1959, that the United states representatives at Geneva were hampered by obstacles largely created by the United States Atomic Energy Commission and Defense Department.
40. We do not intend to dwell on this matter in detail, because we sincerely hope that, in view of the present relaxation of international tension, agreement will very soon be reached on the cessation of atomic and hydrogen weapon tests for all time.
41. In making this statement, I feel obliged to mention another outstanding international problem which has, for fourteen years, prevented the establishment of normal relations between many States and the strengthening of international peace and security. I refer to the problem of clearing away the rubble of the Second World War. It is a manifestly abnormal state of affairs that no peace treaty has yet been concluded with Germany, and that the occupation regime is still maintained in West Berlin.
42. One of the principal sources of tension in Europe and of justifiable concern on the part of European peoples, including the Byelorussian people, is the resurgence of German militarism. Taking advantage of the absence of a peace treaty with Germany, revenge-seeking militarist circles in the Federal Republic of Germany are actively engaged in building up a new aggressive army and psychologically preparing the West German population for a new expansionist war. By virtue of its numerical strength and its armaments, the West German Bundeswehr already occupies a prominent position among the European members of NATO. By the end of this year, according to the newspaper Die Welt of 10 February 1959, the West German armed forces will number about 240,000. But that is only the beginning. Military cadres are being trained with a view to providing officers for about 200 West German divisions. The Bundeswehr is commanded by Hitlerite generals, admirals and officers, known to us from the last war. They are training the soldiers of the Bundeswehr in the same spirit and by the same methods as in the days of Nazism, that is, in the spirit of revenge and aggression against neighbouring States. How could it be otherwise, since all the 104 Bundeswehr generals held identical or similar posts under Hitler, planning and launching attacks on European nations? I could name them all.
43. Weapons of mass destruction are now being placed in the hands of these aggressive Germans, who unleashed the Second World War and who bear the responsibility for the death of tens of millions of people. The equipping of the West German army with rockets with atomic warheads has ceased to be a secret. Furthermore, there are plans afoot for the manufacture of such weapons in the Federal Republic of Germany itself. Obviously, if the German militarists are today acquiring and manufacturing rockets, tomorrow they will receive atomic warheads for them, and will proceed to manufacture their own nuclear weapons. This is all the more apparent when one considers the scale and rapidity of the resurgence of the armaments industry in the federal Republic of Germany. The West German newspaper Westfalische Rundschau said on 17 July last that, "whereas in 1957, 60 per cent of all military orders were placed abroad, this year the volume of such orders from abroad would fall to 40 per cent". The volume of military orders placed with domestic producers is to increase still further in the future. As after the First World War, certain Western Powers have again played an important part in restoring Western Germany’s war industry potential. According to United States press reports (I refer in particular to the Survey of. Current Business for October 1955), the United States granted Western Germany $4,000 million in direct aid and loans between 1945 and 1955, to rehabilitate that country's economy and war industry. And once again, the West German economy came to be controlled by those who had financed Hitler’s bloody campaigns and furnished weapons to his army, namely, Krupp, Abs, Pferdmenges and others.
44. In contravention of the Potsdam Agreements, the Western Powers, in collaboration with the West German Government, virtually transformed Western Germany into a vast atomic missile base, so that the country was literally crammed with foreign and German troops, atomic weapons and the means of delivering them to their targets. All this is well known to us. The conversion of Western Germany into an "atomic spearhead” aimed at the Soviet Union and other socialist countries as advocated by the one-time Hitlerite collaborator William S. Schlamm in his book "Miracle Frontier", it a real threat to European and world peace.
45. It should not be forgotten that revanchist tendencies are wide-spread in the Federal Republic of Germany. Revanchist statements are made, not only by petty officials, but also by ministers of Adenauer’s Government, including Messrs. Strauss, Oberlander, Seebohm and others. The revanchists are laying claim to territory in Poland, Czechoslovakia, the USSR and also some western countries. These demands also recall the aggressive Goebbels propaganda cry of "Lebensraum", which preceded the German invasions of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. There is no guarantee that the German militarists will not embark on fresh expansionist campaigns when they feel that their preparations are complete. Such campaigns might well be launched against western countries, as past history shows. The time has surely come for all responsible statesmen in the world to declare clearly and unequivocally that the West German revanchists’ hopes for the rebirth of the German Reich within its former frontiers are vain. It is time to put an end to the unbridled propaganda of revenge current in Western Germany, which is arousing justifiable indignation among Germany’s neighbours and is increasing tension in Europe. Did the millions who fought against Hitlerism and who gave their lives to free Europe from the brown plague of Fascism ever dream that, not long after Hitler’s empire crumbled before the anti-Hitlerite coalition, militarist organizations — there are now more than a thousand of them — would again emerge in the territory of Western Germany, and that former Nazis would firmly entrench themselves in various branches of the administration of that part of Germany? Yet that is precisely what has happened. Meanwhile, more than 200 democratic organizations and associations have been banned in Western Germany since 1951.
46. Is it surprising, then, that the West German Government has repeatedly obstructed the re-unification of Germany, stubbornly opposed any relaxation of international tension and hindered any calm, practical consideration of proposals aimed at improving the situation in Europe? The greatest danger inherent in the situation which has arisen in Western Germany is that the German militarists might provoke a third world war, with all its attendant dire consequences for the peoples of the world. What is the way out of this situation?
47. The answer is the immediate conclusion of a peace treaty with Germany, on the basis of the actual situation which has developed in the post-war period. The conclusion of a peace treaty would halt the militarization of Western Germany and greatly facilitate the re-unification of the two German States. Furthermore, the Berlin question would be settled once and for all. The Byelorussian delegation hopes that the great Powers will find the means of clearing away the rubble of the last war, to make room for the edifice of lasting peace.
48. The greatest historical event of the post-war period has been the founding and strengthening of the People’s Republic of China, whose tenth anniversary will be celebrated on 1 October 1959 by the 650 million people of China and by all of progressive mankind. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR warmly congratulates the great Chinese people on the occasion of this glorious anniversary and on the outstanding progress they have achieved in developing their national economy and culture. I have already pointed out in my opening statement at this session [8Q2nd meeting! how completely abnormal it is that the representatives of a great Power, the People’s Republic of China, should have been refused admission into the United Nations for a period of ten years. This discriminatory policy is doing irreparable harm-to the prestige of the United Nations. However, the number of States which support Peopled China is growing and we are convinced that the time is not far off when the People's Republic of China will take its rightful place in the United Nations. No amount of scheming by those who oppose the admission of the People’s Republic of China into the United Nations can prevent this, nor can the attempts to discredit People’s China by distorting the true meaning of the events in Tibet, as was done from this rostrum by Mr. Herter and Mr. Lloyd.
49. Mr. Herter took the liberty of turning the facts upside down and accusing the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic Republic of Viet-Nam of directing actions against Laos. However, as was stated on 17 August 1959 by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff of the United Kingdom, Sir Francis Festing, who could hardly be accused of sympathizing with communism, the available information does not bear out reports that troops from North Viet-Nam have entered Laos. He also acknowledged that the situation in Laos was an internal problem which could be "blown up".
50. It is no secret that civil war became possible in Laos because certain groups from some western countries are behind the Government of Laos. In violation of the Geneva agreements, thousands of tons of weapons are being poured into Laos and strategic roads. air-fields and military bases are being built at a feverish pace. The Laotian Government has renounced the policy of neutrality which it is obliged to pursue under the Geneva agreements. The cause of maintaining peace in Asia and the world and the interests of the peoples of Asia make it imperative that the civil war should come to an end. immediately and that the situation in Laos should be restored to normal.
51. The Sub-Committee on Laos set up by the Security Council is illegal and its activities cannot contribute to a settlement of the Laotian problem. Is it appropriate that the United Nations should be led on a leash by the groups that are attempting, in violation of the Geneva agreements, to turn Laos into a spring-board for provocative acts against the independent States of South-East Asia behind- a barrier of noisy accusations about "communist aggression”?
52. Urgent steps must be taken to have the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Laos resume its work so that it might ensure the observance of the Geneva agreements by the Laotian Government.
53. All the activities of the United Nations as defined by the United Nations Charter should be directed towards improving the economic, social and political conditions of human life. We all know that, at the present time, many obstacles and difficulties stand in the way of mankind’s happiness and well-being. Among them are various diseases which are a scourge and a constant threat to man. Since the most ancient times man has had to fight against disease. The United Nations, as the most authoritative international organization of the present day, should unceasingly increase the support it gives to this great cause of man’s fight against his unseen foes. This is all the more imperative, since Article 13 of the United Nations Charter explicitly States that the General Assembly should initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of promoting international co-operation in the health field.
54. Of the diseases threatening man’s life, a particularly fearsome one at present is cancer. In this connexion, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSE considers it timely to consider at this session of the General Assembly the question of international encouragement of scientific research into the control of cancerous diseases.
55. Mankind is becoming increasingly concerned over the wide spread of cancerous diseases. Medical science uses the term "cancerous diseases" to designate all forms of malignant tumours, including cancer itself, irrespective of their histological structure. We know that in the study of cancerous diseases, there are many questions that are obscure or on which opinion is divided. People in all countries regard cancer as a terrible and fatal disease, since its causes have not been ascertained and effective remedies have not been found.
56. Statistical data on the incidence of and mortality from cancerous diseases indicate that the number of persons dying of cancer each year throughout the world is over 2 million. This means that for every 100,000 persons in the world, more than 100 die of cancer every year. Assuming that the average life expectancy of persons with malignant tumours is from two to three years, it can be said that approximately 5 million people throughout the world are now suffering from cancerous diseases.
57. In most countries cancerous diseases take second or third place among all causes of human death. The available statistical data on cancerous diseases throughout the world demonstrate that the control of such diseases is an international problem in solving which the United Nations could play a positive role. The extensive scientific research which has been carried on in various countries for many years has already led to some progress in the control of cancerous diseases. The fine and valuable work on cancerous diseases accomplished by the World Health Organization and the International Union against Cancer should be noted. At the same time it must be said that the efforts so far made in this direction, nationally and internationally, have not yielded effective results. A great deal of work has yet to be done in order to find effective means of treating cancerous diseases. Of tremendous importance in ascertaining the causes of the different forms of cancerous diseases in man is the study of the characteristics of this disease in different countries, of the relationship between the prevalence of particular types of cancerous growths and geographical, climatic, occupational and other factors.
58. There is no question that the problem of cancer control is one of the most important problems of world medical science. The eradication of cancer as a fatal and wide-spread disease of man is one of mankind’s most important tasks. The General Assembly might accordingly adopt in this connexion a decision for the international encouragement of scientific research into the control of cancerous diseases.
59. A most important means of affording such encouragement would be the institution by the United Nations of international prizes for the most outstanding scientific work in connexion with cancerous disease control. It would place no strain on the United Nations budget to establish three prizes, of a total value of $100,000, to be awarded to scientists every four years. Certainly the highest reward of any scientist or group of scientists achieving outstanding results in connexion with the early diagnosis or the treatment of cancerous diseases would be the acknowledgement and gratitude of all of mankind.
60. At the request of the United Nations General Assembly, the International Union against Cancer might undertake to award these prizes and to hold the first prize-giving ceremony at the next International Congress on Cancer in 1962.
61. It would be desirable that wider world public opinion should be able to keep abreast of progress in the fight against cancer. For this purpose, the International Union against Cancer should inform the United Nations General Assembly in 1962 of the progress achieved in the control of cancerous diseases.
62. In view of the foregoing, and guided solely by the interests of humanitarianism, the delegation of the Byelorussian SSE introduces for consideration at the fourteenth session of the General Assembly the item entitled "International encouragement of scientific research into the control of cancerous diseases” and submits the following draft resolution: "The General Assembly, "Considering that cancer is at present one of the diseases most dangerous to mankind, "Recognizing the general desire of all mankind to eliminate wide-spread cancerous diseases among human beings, "Recognizing further that the national and international efforts so far undertaken for the control of cancerous diseases have not yielded sufficiently effective results, "Wishing to encourage scientific efforts in this field in all countries and international institutions,"1. Establishes. for the most outstanding scientific work in connexion with the control of cancerous diseases, United Nations prizes: "(a) First prize: $50,000,"(b) Second prize: $30,000, "(c) Third prize: $20,000,to be awarded once every four years; "2. Requests the International Union against Cancer to undertake to award the prizes, holding the first prize-giving ceremony at the next International Congress on Cancer in 1962; "3. Requests the International Union against Cancer to inform the United Nations General Assembly in 1962 of the progress achieved in the control of cancerous diseases."
63. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSE expresses its confidence that the General Assembly will give this draft resolution careful consideration and will adopts decision in the interests of all mankind, which expects a disease as wide-spread among human beings as cancer to be eradicated as quickly as possible.
64. We are bound to note that, during the past year, the United Nations did not utilize all the possibilities at its disposal for the solution of such important problems as the cessation of the armaments race, the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons, the colonial and economic issuer and other major problems. The peoples who closely follow the work of the United Nations are wondering with some concern whether the United Nations may not take the path of the League of Nations, in which much was said about peace but nothing concrete was done to maintain and strengthen it.
65. The Byelorussian delegation expresses its confidence that the General Assembly will take account of the current relaxation of international tension and will contribute to the solution of unsettled problems on the basis of negotiations and agreements between the States concerned, with due regard for the rights and interests of those States. Hundreds of millions of people believe in and hope for a further lessening of international tension. It is our duty to heed the demands of these people and to avert the danger of another world war.
66. The Byelorussian people are vitally interested in the attainment of a durable and lasting peace and in the creation of conditions which would ensure that the peoples of the whole world could engage in peaceful creative labour.
67. The delegation of the Byelorussian SSR hopes that the current session of the General Assembly will play an Important part in maintaining and strengthening peace in the world, that it will bring a halt to the armaments race and that it will remove once and for all the threat of another world war.