Uruguay, 1947

Not long ago, in October 1946, I had the honour of addressing you from this same rostrum. I had left the United States at the joyous and stirring moment of peace and victory; but I found, on my return to this country, that here and in other countries which I visited on the American continent and its islands, there was much anxiety and growing uncertainty in the minds of all peoples, throughout all classes of society, in the cities and in the country towns.

At the General Assembly held in this same hall last year, all ideas, the most conservative, the most liberal and the most extreme, were freely expressed, and that Assembly was a true parliament of the world. As in all parliaments, many compromise solutions were reached. A tendency was manifested to better the conditions of the working people and the less fortunate of the world; women exerted increased influence, both direct and indirect, on our deliberations; at the same time, access to the Press and other news agencies was free, thus proclaiming the “right to know”. The beneficial influence of the new Members of the United Nations was felt. We all shared the. unanimous desire to speed the work for peace. Many problems remained unsolved, but it may be said that in the last few weeks particularly, great progress was made towards harmony and goodwill.

World confidence declined in the period between the cessation of hostilities and the last regular session; but that decline has been much more noticeable in the period between the 1946 session of the Assembly and the present.

It is true that the United Nations has worked hard with extraordinary success, and I am pleased on that account to offer my congratulations to Mr. Trygve Lie and all his assistants. However, the problems I mentioned, which remained pending in 1946, not only have not been settled, but now appear much graver than ever and make our present outlook very gloomy.

This means that at the present time the effectiveness and the very existence of the United Nations are in jeopardy.

It is well to remember that the world had no choice between our present Organization, which can still be perfected, and a better one; we were faced with this alternative or nothing; to accept nothing meant to leave nations free to settle their .differences by the use of force, and that is the situation which seems to be threatening our world.

The delegation I represent has the firm and clear intention of supporting and maintaining the United Nations by all the means in its power, and of making every endeavour to improve it, and it is comforting to say that, in the face of the present uncertainty, our will and our firm intention to achieve understanding between men and nations have increased.

I speak on behalf of a nation which has solid institutions and advanced social laws, and I bring you its democratic ideas and determination in the fight for freedom! In the name of a South American country, I beg all of you here, who hold in your hands this grave responsibility, to do all that you can to bring about that more peaceful frame of mind which is indispensable to the peace of the world.