Mr. COOPER stated that all the nations of the world had gathered together to try to check the unbridled passions which otherwise would take control of the world Man had brought forces of nature under his will and service, but he had not yet gained control over his lust for domination nor his greed.
The whole world was actively interested in the deliberations of the United Nations, for on those deliberations would depend the fate of the human race. The small nations could not but view with trepidation what was happening in Palestine, Greece, China, Korea and Indonesia and could not but wonder if the Preamble of the United Nations Charter was made up of empty phrases.
The peoples of Asia, Africa and other parts of the world, who had been forced by circumstances to adopt Western culture and civilization in some degree, could not help asking themselves whether more suffering and misery, than benefits, had resulted from the adoption of that civilization imported from the West, and whether their economic and political life had really been improved as a result of contact with Western culture. Had it been worth while to exchange poor sanitary conditions, poverty and tribal warfare for Western methods; for better sanitary conditions and new economic ideas? Western culture was forever giving rise to eternal conflicts, affecting the lives of millions of human beings and causing more destruction than was caused by the forces of nature in the form of disease or poverty. Those people could but observe with some degree of irony the labour and long researches carried on by Western scientists for the elimination of diseases such as cancer or tuberculosis and, on the other hand, the amount of energy expended daily by those men in the discovery of new weapons of destruction for the liquidation of the human race such as the atomic bomb or the flying projectile.
The Liberian representative was sure that he expressed the feelings of all small nations when he said that they watched with fear and anxiety the political struggle among the great Powers for control of the universe. They could not refrain from a certain feeling of nervousness when they observed the division of the world into two blocs: on one side, the forces of Communism and on the other the forces of democracy.
They did not want to be involved in that deadly struggle for world domination, but their geographical and economic situation left them no alternative. History showed that the neutrality of small nations was only respected so long as it served the wishes and purposes of their great neighbours.
In spite of the gravity of the political situation, it was sometimes amusing to listen to the propaganda of the two blocs. If a depressed people in, the Western world exerted itself to obtain a better political and economic regime, it was labelled Communist by the interested great Power. If, on the other hand, the oppressed peoples of the Eastern world demanded the right to determine their own fate, the interested great Power branded them as servants of Western imperialism.
The great Powers seemed to have forgotten the fine phrases of the United Nations Charter concerning equal rights for all men and for all countries, great or small, which they had helped to draft.
The Charter contained the words: «... in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion». As Members of the United Nations, the small countries had undertaken to fulfil those conditions and had respected their undertaking. Yet, in certain parts of the world and even in the territory of certain Member States of the General Assembly, fundamental rights were being denied, to minorities on the grounds of race or religion, and new laws were being adopted which would intensify and perpetuate that form of oppression.
It was sad to have to recognize the fact that the United Nations was powerless to interfere, but nothing in the text of the Charter gave it that power, because such questions were essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of each State. What hope was there, therefore, for those minorities?
After having acknowledged the progress that had been made by the various committees of the United Nations, Mr. Cooper pointed out that the Organization had not been able to set up a body for the control of atomic energy. The small nations could not but view with anxiety that failure, which demonstrated the inability of man to master the dreadful monster he had created.
Having faith in the United Nations Charter, the small nations had accepted the rule of unanimity among the great Powers but the latter, instead of making use of that special right in the general interest of humanity, had used it as a weapon in the conflict which divided them and which threatened to destroy the whole of humanity. Taking into consideration the failure of the great Powers to settle world political problems, one had the right to wonder whether the United Nations was being dogged by the same lamentable fate as the League of Nations.
Despite those misgivings, the small nations still hoped that wisdom, reason and fair play would characterize the activities of the great Powers, who held in their hands the destiny of the human race.
In conclusion, the Liberian representative expressed his thanks to the French Government for the cordial reception which had been given to its guests. They would take away with them very pleasant memories of the generosity and courtesy of France and its people, symbolized in their magnificent motto: «Liberty, Equality, Fraternity».