Eleanor Roosevelt: My Day (1946)

1

eleanor1945

MY DAY
By Eleanor Roosevelt

January 1, 1946

EN ROUTE TO LONDON, Monday – On New Years Day our thoughts turn back to the beginning of the year just past.

On New Years Eve, 1944, my husband was not feeling very well. In order to do the work which was really important, we all were trying to ask of him as few unessential efforts as possible.

So we did not ask him to come down to dinner that night or to spend the evening with us. But he insisted that the custom which we always observed while we were in the White House should be carried on that evening, and about 11:30 he got up and came into his study to join with the few members of the family and the friends who had gathered there. He greeted us all as cheerily as usual.

None of us knew he was planning to start before long for the important Yalta conference. Many of us knew the difficulties which beset him as they do all men in public life. Associates who should be selfless and who instead are self-seeking: coworkers who often are not only personally disloyal to the chief with whom they serve, but who frequently are disloyal to the ideas which they and the chief serve together. The difficulty of getting able men to give up their own and their friends interests. In order to serve in a public capacity: the misunderstanding of motives; the criticism of administration.

All of these are familiar troubles, but why go on? They are the recital of the difficulties which beset any man who rises high in public office in this country. This is the price any public servant pays for serving the people.

In spite of the price, however, the chance to do something which may change the course of history and may mean that future generations will not have to suffer some of the ills which beset the present generation, is worth it, as many men have found. It certainly never seemed too great to the man who, as the clock struck midnight and 1945 came in, raised his glass and said, “We drink to the United States of America.”

No one in the room could hear his tone and watch his gesture and not feel something constrict in their throats. Then came the second toast, “A Happy New Year and health and happiness to those we love, both absent and present.” The individual greetings went on as each of us spoke to every other person in the room and finally my husband left us and went back to bed.

The year 1945 has been a hard year with loss and bitterness to many people, but to the United States peace has come again. Our men in the armed services still are scattered in many parts of the world, but now they are building better relationships with the nations where they are stationed. They are our first ambassadors. Others will follow in the next few years, bringing relief first and then new commerce.

Let us hope we all have the same sense of responsibility and good-will to implement the United Nations Organization which in this coming year will be permanently set up to try to bring pence to the world.

A year of important happenings, both sad and glad, lies behind us, but the year ahead is an unwritten page and much that will be written on it depends on the way our hearts feel, our minds understand and our hands work for the good of the world as a whole.

2

January 2, 1946

EN ROUTE TO LONDON, Tuesday – President Truman’s veto of the bill which carried as a rider the return of the U.S. Employment Service to the states, impressed me not only as a courageous action but as showing a real understanding of the procedure which should govern legislation.

The president said he acted on the ground that the rider was attached to a bill which had nothing to do with employment and because of the harm it would do to the employment situation. This seems to me a statesman’s pronouncement.

This is not only the act of a president who is conscious of the importance of the methods used in carrying out what our representative form of government considers the will of the people, but shows also a grasp of the human situation involved in this legislation.

Slowly and painfully during the past years the U.S. Employment Service has struggled up to a position where it really has the potentiality of being of real value to the country. Given adequate appropriations by Congress, the U.S. Employment Service can keep in touch with its offices all over the country. It can know where there is a need for manpower or womanpower and, at the same time, it can know where the available people needing work are to be found.

It can ascertain and publish what skilled labor we have in the country, what unskilled labor, what farm labor is available and where workmen needed in urban communities can be found. It can be the motivating force behind schools for retraining men who have had one skill developed in wartime and must now acquire another.

It can be the source from which the public can keep itself informed as to conditions in the labor field, for the public needs to know what lies back of labor unrest which ends in strikes. It can be the watchdog to prevent discrimination because of sex, race or religion. It can see that opportunities in this country are really equal for every person according to that person’s abilities. It should work closely with the Fair Employment Practices Committee when that committee becomes a permanent part of our government.

The USES has a great job to do for the people of the nation. It has done it badly sometimes in the past. Because appropriations have been inadequate, investigations even of the simplest kind have not been made. That has led many to feel that they could not trust the workers where such meagre information was furnished by the people themselves and no investigation made. In spite of this great weakness, however, the USES has a chance to grow, has a chance to be a great force for social good in every community in the nation.

Returning this service to the control of the various states would make it impossible for any coordinated information, covering the country as a whole, to be available. In the coming months this coordinated information is going to be of great value to the men returning from service, and for that reason alone, I am more than grateful that the President has had the courage and the statesmanship to send this veto message.

3

January 3, 1946

EN ROUTE TO LONDON, Wednesday – Before we leave the New Year completely behind us, I want to say a word of thanks again for the great number of Christmas cards that have come to me this year. Many of them express sentiments of affection for my husband which I very deeply appreciate. One cannot help but be warmed by so many expressions of sympathy and remembrance.

Ever since my nomination as a delegate to the United Nations Organization, I have been receiving not only New Year greetings and good wishes, but expressions of hope and faith and good wishes for the results of this conference.

I want to tell you through this column, since I could not possibly answer all of these letters and cards, how grateful I am for the feeling that many people will be hoping and praying that out of this meeting will come at least a start towards a strong future organization of many nations, determined to preserve peace on earth.

It is evident to all of us that this desire among the peoples of the world must express itself to their leaders in no uncertain terms, for difficulties are bound to arise among nations as controversies do among individuals. There will be times when solutions to knotty problems will seem well-nigh impossible. It will be the determination of the people in the various nations, prodding their representatives to find compromises if not ultimate solutions, and to set up methods which can be tried on a temporary basis, which will keep the organization going.

The old fears, the old type of diplomatic and political thinking will have to be changed, but they will not change overnight. The old type of economic thinking which has often led to certain types of political action, will also have to be changed and subordinate itself to the main objective before us – peace and a better life for the peoples of the world as a whole.

This cannot happen, however, without the necessary vigor on the part of the people in every nation to make their desires known, nor can it happen unless the difficulties can be brought out in the open and discussed.

The people may not feel that they understand the details of a situation. They could not, perhaps, work out the solution. But they can insist on the ultimate objectives which they wish to attain.

The little people are the ones who fight the wars, they are the ones who work their hearts out in production, they are the ones who suffer most during the wars and afterward. They are the ones to whom a little more hope for a better life now and in the future will mean a little more joy and a little more ease in an existence which in the past has never been without anxiety. They are the ones who will be willing to adventure in new ways because they have less to lose, and yet they are the ones who create stability for those who have had much in the past and hope for more in the future.

Day by day we must be reminded that our world is one world. Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, bound together in an indissoluble union, can spell security for all. But with division and war they can bring destruction.

4

January 4, 1946

EN ROUTE TO LONDON, Thursday – Until I heard from the State Department, I had given little more thought to going to England than I would have given to traveling and living in my own country. I have lived in England before in the winter, and the last thing I was going to give much attention to was what would go into my bags for a trip of a few weeks’ duration.

Then came the State Department list to remind me of the fact that, though rationing in our country is practically ended, it still is in force in England. While we Americans cannot always buy what we want, still we are not living under conditions of hardship.

The first item on the list of difficulties to expect grows out of the fact that Great Britain’s houses never have been as warm as ours in winter. Their climate is not quite as cold as ours in the north, but it is far damper and, in the month of January, I doubt if I will see the sun.

Here is what the State Department tells a traveler going to the British Isles: “Heating facilities never have been up to the standards of this country. These have been gradually reduced during the war until the British are accustomed to temperatures which are painfully low for an American.”

Then came these little items among the things the traveler must be sure to take to England.

“Women’s hose – none available.” “Low-heeled walking shoes – repairing impossible.” “Clothes hangers.” “Soap (hand, laundry, shampoo) – none available.” “Razor blades – none available.” “Shaving material of all kinds.” “All cosmetics, creams, perfumes, colognes, nail polish, etc.” “Bath towels, face towels, wash cloths, any necessary medicines, vitamin tablets, sugar, cigarettes, matches, chocolate candy, fruit juices, flashlight, personal stationery.”

Many more things were mentioned but these, I think, give a fairly good picture of a country which is living on an economy of scarcity far beyond anything we have experienced in the United States.

I have been told that, as far as daily living goes, conditions have become less comfortable since the close of the war than they were when I visited London in 1942. Naturally, when a long strain lets up, people let down. Any factory worker in our country who worked to the very limit of his or her capacity during the war knows how difficult it would be to carry on in the same way today.

The reconversion period is a necessity not only in the United States. Every nation involved in the war has to reconvert, and other nations need far more things than we need because they have had less.

(One of the questions I am most interested in looking into is the extent to which women are still able to work in England as compared to the war period.)

Not only the factory workers, but also housewives, worked under far more strain than we were obliged to face. For instance, in areas where labor had to be increased, people were billeted with resident families. A woman had to share her kitchen and her house with another family. Or if she only had room for single workers, she had to do the additional cooking, morning and evening, and the cleaning of the rooms.

War conditions reached down into individual lives to a far greater extent than we experienced.

5

January 5, 1946

EN ROUTE TO LONDON, Friday – I have been thinking of the grave responsibility which lies not only on the delegates to the United Nations Organization but on the nation as a whole as we gather for our first meeting of the UNO Assembly.

On the success or failure of the United Nations Organization may depend the preservation and continuance of our civilization.

We have learned how to destroy ourselves. Mankind can be wiped off the face of the earth by the action of any comparatively small group of people. So it would seem that if we care to survive we must progress in our social and economic development far more rapidly than we have done in the past.

We must, of course, lay proper stress in building this organization on the united force which will control all individual force throughout the world. At the same time, our real hope for the future lies in the development of a united economic, cultural and social pattern.

This must increase the well-being of the peoples of the world. Otherwise it will not win their loyalty and their constant, active participation and work as citizens. This is the only way in which we can hope to create the leadership needed in this organization from every nation in the world to bring about the changes which can keep the world at peace.

The greed, suspicion and fear which have created wars in the past will create them again unless, through education and understanding, human beings can be brought to see that their own best interests lie along new lines of development. If we hope to prosper, others must prosper too, and if we hope to be trusted, we must trust others.

Above all, we must remember some of our ancient teachings which told us that a man could not guarantee the degree of development any other man might attain; but if he rose to his own greatest heights, willy-nilly, those around him would strive to achieve more than they would have without a great challenge.

The building of this organization is the greatest challenge that civilized man ever has faced. From earliest days he has fought for self-preservation, but always through destruction. Now for the first time, he has reached a point where destruction can be so complete that he must find new ways to fight for self-preservation.

The building of a United Nations Organization is the way that lies before us today. Nothing else except security for all the peoples of the world will bring freedom from fear of destruction.

Security requires both control of the use of force and the elimination of want. No people are secure unless they have the things needed not only to preserve existence, but to make life worth living. These needs may differ widely now. They may change for all, from time to time. But all peoples throughout the world must know that there is an organization where their interests can be considered and where justice and security will be sought for all.

6

January 7, 1946

LONDON – Yesterday, being Sunday, as many people as could leave London, left it for the weekend, so it seemed a very quiet place, indeed, as we emerged from the hotel after a morning of work to find a place for lunch. The American Embassy canteen was closed, so we went to the Allies Club. This is the club where they have held discussion groups from time to time, I understand, and there is a nice quiet dining room that looks out on one of those little grassy squares surrounded by similar houses which one finds so unexpectedly in London. A man came out to exercise his two Scotties and as I watched him I felt homesick for my small Scotty back in the United States. Instead of the traditional roast beef of Old England, we have a nice little fish for lunch which suited me very well but must have been hard for the British. They like to follow their traditions but have had to break so many during the war and cannot resume them even though the war is at an end.

Last evening I dined in a little house which was built out of the bombed-out kitchen of a very large mansion. What was once the kitchen and servant quarters, provides you with an entrance hall and a smaller kitchen at the left. Down two steps you come into a fair-sized living room with a fireplace and a little staircase leading to a balcony which is a dining room opening into the kitchen. A mirror cleverly placed makes it seem very spacious, and above there are two bedrooms. This type of building out of the ruins is what makes London still able to house so many people, and at the same time, gives it an air of being less scarred then one might expect after the V-1 and V-2 bombs. One notices in some places deceptive fronts still standing and it takes a second look to see that there is nothing behind.

Someone told me of an experience they had with a man who was standing looking at an empty space. He turned and seized the passerby’s arm and said, “There, five years ago, a German bomb landed on a school, 1200 children were killed but no mention was ever made of the incident.” Of course, the silence was for security reasons but five years later a man who may perhaps have been mourning children of his own, could feel indignation about the dropping of that bomb. Somehow it seems to me that it is this kind of indignation that should fill the heart of every delegate to this conference. War no longer deals with soldiers alone, it deals just as harshly with men, women and children and that is why, if our civilization is to continue, war must come to an end.

7

January 8, 1946

LONDON, Monday – It is a moving thing to return to a country which you have seen in time of war and take stock of what the intervening years of continued war have done not only to material things, but to the people themselves.

As we drove through Southampton and then through the countryside and the little villages, I marveled at the work which had been done to clear up destruction in the towns.

Anyone who has known the British countryside in the past cannot help but see great changes – fences, walls, hedges, which then would have been in “apple-pie” order, now very often resemble our rather haphazard ways in the United States. A traveler coming from the United States for the first time might not realize that spaces between houses in towns and villages are usually the work of a bomb and not the result of never having been used.

Nature has a way of covering up very quickly the scars made by man in the woods and fields, but if you look carefully you will see where exploding bombs have left their marks in regions far from military objectives. What strikes the experienced eye is the neglect which has come about because people could not afford to keep up their houses or grounds. The actual cutting down of woods, necessitated by the need for increased agricultural production, must have been a great sacrifice to many landowners. In the United States to see a bit of fence knocked down and not immediately replaced is nothing very unusual, but here in the days before the war it would have been very quickly repaired.

When we arrived at Southampton, everyone aboard the Queen Elizabeth came out on deck to watch us dock. There was no fog, even though the skies were grey, which seemed a good omen for our mission.

The mayor of Southampton and his wife greeted us on board and held a reception for all the delegates in the Captain’s quarters. Our own consul general, Mr. William Beck, and his wife, and Mr. and Mrs. Neville Butler were also there to greet us. After our first meeting we went up to the spacious sport deck where the photographers awaited us. The British Broadcasting Corporation was also set up and I said a few words of greeting.

As we left the ship, Senator Connally, Senator Vandenberg and I spoke again briefly for the movie cameras. It all went off very smoothly and I was astonished at the efficiency with which all landing arrangements had been made. Some cars were waiting so that the delegates could drive straight to London and I drove up with Senator and Mrs. Connally.

In my first hurried glimpse I notice that while the shops put on a rather brave display in their windows, there is really little to buy and the rationing system is still in full force. If this is so in Great Britain, I can well believe what one young woman told me on the boat about Holland. She said it was impossible to buy clothes, paper, ink or soap; indeed, any of the ordinary necessities of life were unobtainable.

Which reminds me that at present in the United States there is a Victory Clothing Collection going on for overseas relief. Our goal is 100 million garments from the people of the United States. Shoes and bedding are included in this collection and we are asked to attach letters which can be forwarded to the unknown people who will receive our gifts. In this way we can give them not only material cheer but a bond of concern and sympathy from our more fortunate land.

8

January 9, 1946

LONDON, Tuesday – These few days before the conference actually begins are the only ones when I think we will have an opportunity to meet friends and perhaps get some of the information which will help us to do our work better.

We are staying at Claridge’s where we are spared the rigors of a private home or a less luxurious hotel. Having been warned that we would be cold, I suffered from the heat on arrival and had to turn off the little electric heaters which I am sure had been turned on to keep the American guests happy.

I am glad that when I was here before in 1942 I stayed in a number of British homes. Otherwise I am afraid that this visit would give me little conception of what the life of the average individual family has been and still is in this embattled island.

I can hardly tell you how heartwarming it was to have Lady Reading, who has been head of the Women’s Voluntary Services all through the war, knock at my door almost before I had taken off my coat after arriving. She was leaving the hotel, because the rooms were needed for our party, and going to the country for the weekend. Her own little house, into which she is just moving, would not have the water turned on until Monday. Just to see her for a few minutes made me feel welcome.

A little later, Mr. and Mrs. Noel-Baker came to call. (He has been Chairman of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations Organization.) Then our ambassador, Mr. John Winant, dropped in, and a little later Mr. Dorsey Fisher, a member of our embassy staff who traveled throughout Great Britain with me when I was here in 1942. Then Miss Louise Morley came in.

These last two accompanied me later to the American Embassy Canteen for dinner. This canteen is run for Americans in London. The steward is a young American soldier, Sgt. Strickland, who does a remarkable job. I think we all feel better because we know the food is American Army food so we are not taking away from the scant provisions of Great Britain.

In the evening I had a long talk with Henry Tosti Russell, representative of United Features over here, and so my unpacking waited until somewhere around 10 p.m. This was a good thing, however, because it gave time to collect all the various bags so that once I began, I could go ahead and get settled.

I am rather glad to have a day or two to familiarize myself as to how to reach the places where I am most apt to have to be in the course of the next few weeks. I am always slow about remembering how to get around in London. Walking is often the best way to reach one’s destination these days.

I brought with me from the ship a basket of fruit which a kind friend had sent me. On board fruit was plentiful and I thought I might find that people here would be glad to share it with me. I had not realized, however, just how glad they would be. When I asked someone casually if they would like a couple of pears, they looked at me and said, “You don’t seem to realize that these are luxuries with us. I haven’t had a pear in years.”

One of my other friends said protestingly, “I really shouldn’t take these from you because I have been so long without them that I don’t miss them any more, but you are going to feel the change.”

I explained that it was better to eat fruit before it became too soft and so she walked off with a clear conscience and I hope enjoyed the pears.

9

January 10, 1946

LONDON, Wednesday – Someone told me today of an experience he had when he passed a man who was standing on the sidewalk, looking at a big empty space where there had been a building.

The man seized the arm of the passerby to tell him, “There, five years ago, a German bomb landed on a school. Twelve hundred children were killed but no mention ever was made of the incident.”

Of course the silence was for security reasons, but five years later a man who may perhaps have been mourning children of his own, still could feel deep indignation about the dropping of that bomb. Somehow it seems to me that it is this kind of indignation that should fill the heart of every delegate to this conference.

War no longer deals with soldiers alone. It deals just as harshly with men, women and children and that is why if our civilization is to continue, war must come to an end.

We went to the Allies Club the other day for lunch. This is a club where I understand they have held discussion groups from time to time. There is a nice, quiet dining room that looks out on one of those little grassy squares surrounded by houses looking very much alike, which one finds so unexpectedly in London.

A man came out to exercise his two Scotties and as I watched him, I felt homesick for my small Scottie back in the United States.

Instead of the traditional roast beef of old England, we had a nice little fish for lunch which suited me very well, though I don’t know what the British may have thought of it. They like to follow their traditions but have had to break so many which they cannot now resume even though the war is over.

Last evening I dined in a little house which was built from the bombed-out kitchen of a very large mansion. What was once the kitchen and servants quarters now provides an entrance hall and a smaller kitchen at the left.

Down some steps you come into a fair-sized living room with a fireplace and a little staircase leading to a balcony, which is a dining room opening into the kitchen. A mirror cleverly placed makes it seem very spacious. Above there are two bedrooms. This type of building out of the ruins is what makes London still able to house so many people and at the same time gives it an air of being less scarred than one might expect after the V-1 and V-2 bombs.

One notices in some places the deceptive fronts still standing and it takes a second look to see that there is nothing behind them.

10

January 11, 1946

LONDON, Thursday – In Grosvenor Square where the American delegates to the United Nations Organization have offices, I saw quite a queue of young women at the entrance of a building on the opposite side of the square, over which flies the American flag. The young women are our soldiers’ British wives, and now after much confusion the army finally is able to consider their problem. Gradually they are making arrangements for them to join their husbands in the United States.

Since my arrival I have had several letters about them and I imagine their position has been none too easy. No one has been able before to give them any definite answers to their questions. In some cases their husbands would get home and be demobilized and the government allotments would automatically stop. The man instead of realizing that now he was resuming full responsibility as a civilian for his dependents would sometimes write the Embassy and inquire why his wife was not receiving support.

However, I think the end of the confusion is in sight. Transportation, which has been the great difficulty, is improving and it is possible to allocate some ships to bring the wives and children of our servicemen home without curtailing the facilities for returning our own soldiers to the United States.

President Truman on December 28, signed legislation which makes visas unnecessary for the wives of United States citizens serving in or having an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States during the second world war. The American Embassy and the American Red Cross have cooperated in doing all they possibly could for them even before the army policy was announced.

Many of the personal welfare problems which arose while the wives waited for shipping have been handled by the American Red Cross. The wives who already have been cleared by the American Embassy are not required to do anything further under the new legislation. They simply will be notified when shipping is available.

The first priority goes to about 400 wives whose husbands are in hospitals in the United States. They are scheduled to sail on the USS Argentina towards the end of January.

Staging areas are being set up so the families can be cared for during the three or four days prior to sailing. The transportation is free from their homes here to their future homes in the United States and reception areas are being prepared for them on landing until their transportation in the United States is ready. Complete information as to food, baggage, etc., is given them both as to themselves and their children before leaving their present homes.

The initial application must be made to army headquarters and the following documents must be produced: 1. Marriage certificates in all cases. 2. Proof of husband’s citizenship (birth certificate or letter from his commanding officer certifying citizenship or copy of discharge certificate). 3. Husband’s affidavit of support (if husband is not already in the United States). 4. Cable or postmarked letter from husband (if husband is in the United States) requesting her to join him. 5. Birth certificate for each child.

Each dependent will receive through the mail, after this first application has been made, a questionnaire from the Army Transportation Corps. This must be filled out and returned promptly or a needless delay will occur in transportation assignments.

Some of the young women over here from the United States are trying to meet these young wives and tell them something about the country which soon will be their home. One hopes that the adjustment to their new surroundings in the United States will not be too difficult.

11

January 12, 1946

LONDON, Friday – The great moment of the actual opening of the first session of the General Assembly came yesterday afternoon. Mr. Stettinius asked me to drive to Westminster with him.

As we went out together, he said to me, “How your husband planned for this day.” Once we were in the hall I felt my husband’s spirit must be with us.

I would like to pay tribute here to the men and women behind the scenes of all the delegations who do so much work and get so little public acknowledgment. Their satisfaction in the knowledge that they are contributing to the greatest hope that men have today for future happiness must be their reward.

The hall, was already crowded when we arrived and I found myself sitting next to a Russian delegate, Mr. Kuznetzov.

In this land of shortages great effort has been made to prepare a dignified and beautiful background, so at this first meeting when Dr. Eduardo Zuleta Angel of Colombia, President of the Preparatory Commission, arose to open it, he stood in front of a blue and gold background on which a symbolic world map appeared with two great olive branches crossed below it.

I had a few minutes to look around before the meeting began. One’s eye was caught by the picturesque group of Arab representatives. Later they passed close beside me as I stood waiting for our car and I was struck by the fine features and dignified bearing of this whole delegation.

On the whole, there were very few women on the delegations, at least so it seemed to me yesterday. In talking to a French assistant delegate at Mr. Bevin’s reception after the meeting she told me she felt sure there were more women still to come. So far no complete list of delegates has been published. But I would like to feel that women will be represented in the future in greater numbers in the Assembly, particularly from the countries where they participated so fully in fighting the war, as well as enduring its hardships as civilians. Casting our ballots for president of this first session of the Assembly, was to me a most interesting ceremony. As each delegation sent up a member with its vote, I had an opportunity to see the different representatives, many of them the heads of their delegations.

Everyone of these delegates will play a part on the committees to which they will be assigned. There I think personalities will count. It will not matter whether you come from a big or little nation, if you have a contribution to make to the questions that are brought before your committee. It will be your own ability to think clearly and speak tactfully, and persuasively that will enable each one to render valuable service.

I felt in the delegates a seriousness which I have never before found at this kind of a large gathering. In meetings and conversation as a rule there is excitement and rivalry but here, even on the first day, when this feeling between candidates might well have been evident, there neither was great exhilaration over the election of Spaak of Belgium, who won by a small margin over Lie of Norway, nor great disappointment at Lie’s defeat. There was a feeling that whoever was elected was going to do a very big job and that he would require the backing and help of every nation and there must be no hard feelings left over by defeat.

One of the impressive things was the crowd which gathered outside in the drizzling rain, waiting to see the delegates go into Westminster Hall and were still there to see them come out at the end of the meeting. I overheard one woman say, “It’s a big undertaking, they must succeed, the future of the world depends on it.” And that was, I think, the thought in the mind of every delegate as he left Westminster Hall and wended his way homeward.

12

January 14, 1946

LONDON, Sunday – At the first business session of the UNO Assembly Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium said that he felt a great honor had been paid him and that he would discharge his duties to the best of his ability.

He was kind enough to say a special word of welcome to me and to add how much my husband’s work for the organization was in his mind at this opening session.

Then it looked for a little while as though we were going to have an endless number of speeches on the question of rules and procedures. I notice that men always feel passionately about these rules, and on our own delegation Congressman Bloom keeps impressing upon us how very important it is to get the rules just as you want them.

Not having had vast experience with parliamentary procedure, this never seemed to me quite as desperate a question as it appears to those who are experienced, but I am beginning to realize that it is a help to have your rules well thought out in advance.

The two official languages used at the meetings are English and French. If anyone speaks in French, it is translated into English, and vice versa. This doubles the time it takes for any speech, and for that reason I feel that everybody should try to condense their remarks. But French is not a language in which it is easy to speak briefly. I think that the beauty of the language carries one away into expressions of high sentiment.

That afternoon we had the first meeting of the committee on which Senator Townsend and I represent the United States, dealing with social, humanitarian and cultural questions. In the main conference room at Church House the senator sat directly behind me, and back of us along the wall sat Mr. Sandifer of the State Department and some other advisers. Arthur Henderson, the British member of the committee, sat on my right. Mr. Lavrentiev, the Russian representative, was on my left.

Our first business was to elect a chairman. The Canadian delegate nominated Peter Fraser of New Zealand. I seconded the nomination. Having been in New Zealand and having known Fraser, I feel that he will be a chairman who will bring a deep interest and long experience to the work of this committee.

New Zealand is a small country, though it is part of the British Empire. They have tried many social experiments and I think that Fraser, as chairman, will bring to new world problems a point of view which can combine the feeling of both the smaller and larger nations.

After Fraser was chosen to be chairman, we adjourned and I dashed back to my hotel for an hour with my secretary.

Just before returning to the afternoon Assembly meeting a group of about ten American soldiers came to call on me to tell me how they felt on certain matters. I was glad to see these young men since, because of my own boys, I always have a sense of kinship with our soldiers.

I am deeply sympathetic with their problems and always wish I could sit down and really have a talk with them. In this case I had to keep them standing and hurry them out, as Miss Frieda Miller, who was driving back to Westminster Hall with me, already was waiting.

That afternoon we selected the Vice Presidents of the Assembly. They were chosen by countries and those named were China, France, South Africa, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.

13

January 15, 1946

LONDON, Monday – During the weekend the weather was very pleasant. In fact, all of us were saying, “What a lovely day, it feels like spring.” I think our appreciation is enhanced by the fact that we have had a great deal of rain and we are likely to have a great deal more.

On Saturday we got down to the very really interesting business of electing the six temporary members to the Security Council. Three will serve for two years and three for one year. You will remember, of course, that there are five permanent members of the Council.

This is considered one of the most important parts of the United Nations Organization because it is charged with keeping the peace of the world. That means responding at once to any request made by the Secretary General, trying to avert the use of force if possible, but if necessary deciding on what shall be done to deal with any aggressor nation.

The Russian Ambassador to the United States, Andrei Gromyko, arose and asked that the election be put off in order that more consideration could be given the question. Our chief delegate, Secretary of State Byrnes, made a speech in opposition saying it was necessary to continue with our orderly procedure and keep to our timetable.

Gromyko was supported by Fraser of New Zealand who said that as the representative of one of the smaller nations which was not itself a candidate, he could speak for them. He insisted there had been too little time for consultation and consideration. He stated it was a cardinal principle that due thought should be given to geographic representation on all the councils and it would be most important on this one. He felt, therefore, that Australia should be a candidate. There was of course strength to his argument, if everyone had not known in advance that the vote was coming that morning.

The move for delay was voted down and we proceeded to the election. As you know by now, Brazil, Egypt, the Netherlands, Mexico and Poland were chosen on the first ballot and later in the day Australia was elected to be the sixth non-permanent member of the Security Council.

During the counting of the ballots I ran up a flight of stairs and did a brief three-minute recording for the “Voice Of America.” I had to do it without script but since I knew very well what I wanted to say, I hoped it was a truthful portrayal not only of my own sentiments but of those of many people in the United States.

I wonder sometimes whether people everywhere have a full understanding of how this new organization is being set up. The General Assembly to which every member-nation sends five delegates is the most important body. Without it the other councils could not be set up. It is through the General Assembly that the other councils are chosen. The judges for the international court will be chosen by the General Assembly and the Security Council, and any changes that later may be made in the setup of the organization will have to come back to the General Assembly when it meets.

The delegates to this Assembly are appointed for each session by their governments. In the case of the United States the President not only appoints the delegates but they have to be ratified by the Senate. The fact that each delegation has only one vote means that within a delegation practical unanimity on every question has to be achieved before that vote is cast.

Since the questions so far before us have been questions of organization, it has not been difficult to achieve this unanimity but I can well imagine that there will be occasions in the future when the members of any given delegation will differ sharply.

There are a number of newspaperwomen here who have tried to get a word with me as I went in and out of the conference or the hotel. I keep telling them that I came over to attend these meetings and am doing practically nothing else. Sooner or later, I imagine I will have to see a number of them and feel sure they are going to ask me what my wardrobe consists of and that is going to be an embarrassing question. For when you wear black, you soon lose much interest in a variety of garments. However, I shall try to use my imagination.

14

January 16, 1946

LONDON, Tuesday – There is something that gives one a great sense of security in the way in which the British Dominions freely express their points of view even when they are in opposition to the United Kingdom. They remind me of some of our own states when they disagree with some measure that the government in Washington is putting through.

An instance was the election of Australia as the sixth non-permanent member of the UNO Security Council last Saturday after Canada had withdrawn as a candidate. The United Kingdom had voted for Canada but, when New Zealand expressed the firm conviction that Australia should be substituted to gain wider geographical representation, there was no sign of perturbation on the part of the United Kingdom delegates. They evidently thought this was a question for the Dominions to settle among themselves without the slightest interference.

This is hopeful, I think, because it shows a sense of their own security on fundamentals and a willingness to let everyone express his opinions and to trust to the fairness of the whole group in the final decision. I think Canada was strengthened because of her magnanimous action.

Similarly, in the vote for the last seat on the Economic and Social Council, New Zealand and Yugoslavia were close contenders. Then, yesterday (Monday), New Zealand withdrew and, in doing so, I think she strengthened her position for future consideration for some other post.

The Security Council, now elected, will shortly proceed to meet. It is in connection with this Council that the Allied military and naval staffs will meet to discuss security problems from a purely military point of view.

On Saturday, the voting on the Security Council took such a long time that I was obliged to ask Mr. Byrnes for permission to leave early in order to attend a committee meeting of members of my own delegation. I had asked an old family friend, Lady Archer-Shee, to come in for tea and, as I could not get back, I was very glad that my aunt, Mrs. Gray, who had come over from Ireland with her husband to stay with me for a few days, was able to look after my guest. I had just a few minutes to talk with her before my meeting started. At a little before seven, when I went in to see Mrs. Byrnes, I found that her husband and Senators Connally and Vandenberg were still sitting in Westminster Hall watching the ballots cast.

On Sunday, as there were no meetings, I had arranged to lunch with my old friends Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Elmhirst and to dine with Sir Arthur and Lady Salter. I kept both these engagements but, in both cases, had to leave to drive down to the BBC studios. First I had to make a record to be transmitted to Washington for the opening of the March of Dimes in connection with the annual infantile paralysis campaign which has been conducted ever since my husband went to Washington.

Funds have been raised in these campaigns in many different ways, but the March of Dimes is one of the chief methods. Outside every motion picture theater, there is a table on which are receptacles into which people put their contributions of dimes. I have always felt that this was one of the best ways of making it possible for almost everyone to contribute in a great national effort. Even children save their pennies until they can put a dime down on the table outside a movie theater.

My little talk on Sunday was made in recollection of the many years that I have gone with one of the District of Columbia Commissioners to speak at the opening ceremonies of the March of the Dimes. I was particularly grateful that Mrs. Truman and her daughter were able to take part in these ceremonies this year.

It seems very funny, when one goes to the BBC studio, to listen to the conversations which go on between the men in the London studio and the men in a New York studio. It is so casual and intimate that the sense of distance is almost entirely obliterated. The other day, I sent a message to Edward Murrow, who had just come into the New York studio, to tell him that I had seen his 9-weeks-old son for the first time and thought him a beautifully healthy baby.

Sunday evening, I had to leave my host and hostess immediately after dinner to go back to the BBC and talk for three minutes and thirty seconds on one of the National Broadcasting Company programs in New York. I listened to the United Nations Hymn played just before I spoke, and I felt that I must be sitting in New York, not in one of London’s underground studios still in use by BBC. They had to be put underground during the war and you still go down two flights of stairs to do a broadcast.

15

January 17, 1946

LONDON – Quite frankly, the preliminary period in the UNO Assembly’s plenary sessions, during which a succession of votes had to be taken, did not give a delegate like myself a sense of working very hard or making much of a contribution, since it meant just sitting and looking on and listening. I think that, from now on, however, the subjects discussed will be of greater interest. Secretary Byrnes’ speech at the Monday afternoon session when debate began on the Preparatory Commission’s report, was very effective. He reminded everyone that the work of peace had started during the war – that, when the days still looked dark, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin had started to plan for peace. He quoted President Truman’s phrase, “The responsibility of great states is to serve, and not to dominate, the world.” I think all of us here are very conscious of that. When we consider the veto power which the great states have, we know it is their responsibility not only to keep peace in the world but to watch over the well-being of other nations.

Mr. Byrnes received long applause and I think it was because he pledged the full, wholehearted cooperation of the United States in the work which we are gathered here to do.

I’ve found that all the United States delegates who have spoken so far have commanded attention and interest. I think it is largely because they are accustomed to speaking to large audiences and speak clearly and easily.

In the galleries, there certainly is great interest in the personalities of the people on the floor. Those who have been up there tell me that everyone tries to find out about the various speakers, and they look for individual delegates about whom they have read. I think the proceedings are being followed with very great care.

In reading the American newspapers that come here, I judge that a good deal of information on the Assembly proceedings is available to the people at home. I hope you take the same amount of interest which the people here are taking and which I hope the people of European and Asiatic countries are taking. I think we shall see soon that this new effort at setting up a world organization is well on its way. But I hope we realize, too, that each step of the way is pioneering, and that only in the use of these tools which are being forged today can we find out their virtues and their defects.

Before going any further, I must tell you of one or two occurrences which have added a gleam of amusement to life. On the telephone the other day, I was told that a Major Grant wanted to speak to me. I knew no Major Grant but thought he might possibly be someone who had an introduction to me. When he was connected, he promptly announced that he thought he could not get through unless he gave a military title, but that he did not have a title and just wanted to talk to me.

Then, a young man called up from the hotel desk and asked if he could come up to see me. He wanted to have a menu card signed. When he appeared at my door, I found that he was a Canadian soldier. I would have been glad to have a talk with him if I had had time, but at least I signed his menu card!

People here want autographs just as much as those at home do. Both grown-ups and children send in quite a number of requests for my signature. The amount of mail is considerable and the people I’m really sorry for are my secretaries, who have to spend hours every day answering letters and telephone messages.

I think you will be interested in a little observation I made while walking down a street the other day. There was a shop window with a wonderful display of shoes but, as I looked, I soon discovered a little sign which said: “All available shoes have already been sold.”

Something similar to this appears in quite a number of windows and would be amusing if it did not indicate a brave spirit and a good deal of hardship. Hard times still exist for many, many people in this country, and it must be infinitely worse when you cross the Channel and come into countries that were occupied by the enemy.

Among several books which have been sent to me, one little volume, called “Style of Me” and bearing the subtitle “Letters of Eula from the USA,” has given me much amusement. The letters are genuine and were written by a little girl 9 or 10 years old. They are quite charming, and I think both young and old would enjoy them. Like many children, the young lady is most observing and there must have been times when her elders found her difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, it does us elders much good to see ourselves through the eyes of a child.

16

January 18, 1946

LONDON – Sometimes, in watching the UNO Assembly delegates from some of the European countries, I wonder if they are thinking of the days when the League of Nations was being set up. Many of them, as young and idealistic assistants to the leading statesmen of those days, played a part in that first effort to get the nations of the world together in a cooperative organization to keep peace.

The fact that we Americans were not there does make us bring a fresher outlook to this present effort. In addition, in neither World War I nor World War II, have we seen our country invaded, our factories rendered useless, our fields pockmarked with shell holes and bomb craters, our woods destroyed, our civilian population starved and terrified. This has left us with more vitality and strength than the other nations involved.

Without minimizing in any way the anxiety, strain and sorrow which we lived through during the war, still I sometimes think that the fact that we have been spared so much must mean that our nation is destined for a very high service of some kind. It puts a rather appalling amount of responsibility upon us – upon our citizens and upon our statesmen, who must lead us well if we are to fulfill our world obligations in this period of crisis.

We are not accustomed to thinking of ourselves in such a role. It is one we hardly relish, and yet it is one, I think, which it is going to be impossible to escape.

The other evening, the very few women who are delegates, assistant delegates or advisers to the Assembly met with me in a conference room at our office. I felt that, as long as there were so few of us here, it would be a pity not to become acquainted and find out what our special interests might be.

Among the few women who are full delegates, is Miss Ellen Wilkinson, British Minister of Education. She had just come back from Malta, where she had been inspecting schools. That island, which was one of the most fought-over spots in the Mediterranean, is slowly coming back to normal life. For a long time, the people there lived underground or in caves, but they came through by the grace of God, their own powers of endurance, and the courage of the British garrison and fliers.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of lunching with Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, who is here with some of her children. I remember so well when a number of them came to the White House, while I was away, and lunched with my husband. He loved children so much that this rather large family, which had just landed in a strange country as refugees from their own, appealed to him greatly. This family knows well what invasion of a country means.

Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and to little countries peace is very necessary. They cannot hope to defend themselves in war, and for prosperity and happiness they must depend on the cooperation of their neighbors.

My mail is assuming proportions somewhat like my mail at home, and I almost come to the point where I think that, if I am going to attend to my duties here, I must cease answering or even reading any letters. However, the misery of the world is brought home to me in these letters in many different ways, as I read of various persons’ difficulties, so many of which have been caused by the war.

Families who have been separated and cannot rejoin each other, people who have been in concentration camps, others who have been reduced to poverty in exile – all are now struggling to rehabilitate themselves. People who have been caught away from home, and are not yet able to get transportation back, cannot understand why travelling is not yet normal, since the war is over.

Shortages of every kind – in houses, food, clothing – add to their miseries. For instance, if people hoping to leave this country give up their homes and then are delayed, it is impossible to find any place in which to lodge a family.

The dislocation that comes to people’s lives during war lasts for years afterwards. This is bound to happen. Now that I am seeing it for the second time, I cannot help feeling that the human race must now prove its real intelligence by successfully preventing war and all the miseries that accompany it. Otherwise, it seems to me that our civilization will go the way of many others in the past.

17

January 19, 1946

LONDON – I find that listening to speeches in the Assembly meetings for so many hours daily, no matter how good they are, is a tax on my powers of concentration. It may be that, being deaf in one ear, I have to listen more attentively than the average person. For this reason, I shall be glad when the work in committees really begins and we can deal with concrete questions in a somewhat smaller room and with a smaller group of people.

One of the questions being discussed by various groups is the request of the World Federation of Trade Unions to have special consideration and to be allowed a different approach to the Assembly than is allowed any other non-governmental organization. Their argument apparently is that, while the United Nations Charter empowers the Economic and Social Council to enter into negotiations with specialized non-governmental agencies, this particular labor organization should be treated on a different basis because of its broad membership.

They have requested consultative representation in the Assembly and voting representation in the Economic and Social Council. This question is now being taken up by a subcommittee, which will hear all the arguments in the case and report back to the Steering Committee.

The dinner which Prime Minister Attlee gave for the delegates the other evening, in the Painted Hall of the Royal Naval College, was one of the most beautiful occasions of this kind that I’ve ever attended. Since I was the only woman delegate attending the dinner, Mrs. Attlee did not wish me to feel isolated, so she acted as hostess and it was not a completely stag party.

Historically, the Royal Naval College is extremely interesting. It stands on the site of the palace where both Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth were born. From the palace windows, Elizabeth watched Martin Frobisher set out in search of the Northwest Passage and, when Francis Drake returned from his trip around the world in the “Golden Hind”, it was here that she welcomed him – as well as Walter Raleigh when he returned from America.

The Painted Hall in which we dined was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was originally used as a dining room for Naval pensioners. Its wall and ceiling paintings were executed by Sir James Thornhill. The ceiling has portraits of King William and Queen Mary in center, with allegorical paintings representing all their virtues covering the rest of the ceiling.

Since a historian had been kind enough to bring me a description of all this, I tried very hard to bend my head backward and examine the ceiling with care, but one really should lie on the floor! I always wonder how painters of ceilings ever do their work.

One little thing at the table struck me. Each of us had a small silver ashtray. I examined mine and found that it bore an inscription of presentation by a Chinese cadet trained in the Royal Naval College during the first World War. Every ashtray carried a different Chinese name. I thought it was a charming way for these young Chinese to commemorate the opportunity which was given them to study at this historic college – and characteristic of the thoughtful generosity of the Chinese people.

It may seem absurd, but the person who impresses me most at these state dinners in Great Britain is the master of ceremonies who announces the toasts and speeches. He stands behind each speaker and intones: “Your Royal Highnesses, Your Grace, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen…” It always seems to me that he is much more important than anyone else present!

The Archbishop of Canterbury, whom I met for the first time and whom I found entirely delightful, said grace at the beginning and end of the meal. The last grace was just three words long, which caused a ripple of laughter as he finished.

Even formal dinners in Great Britain are still held down to three courses – soup, the main course of fish or chicken, and dessert.

18

January 21, 1946

LONDON – In spite of the fact that he speaks English very well, Soviet representative Andrei A. Gromyko delivered his address on Friday in Russian. He probably felt that in this way he would be sure of giving the right emphasis to what he wished to say. But when a speech has to be translated into both French and English, by the end of the second translation I am always sorry we don’t have earphones, which give it to you at the time the speech is being made! Someday, perhaps, when materials are plentiful again, all international gatherings will have these installed.

Like the other representatives of the great powers, Gromyko stressed “true cooperation,” which, he said, would alone make it possible to do the work necessary to implement the Charter. Living up to the Charter is of course an absolute necessity, since that is the law under which the United Nations Organization was established and to which each nation set its signature. Gromyko spoke with great seriousness, and that is one thing which impresses me about the Russians. I notice that they very rarely smile or laugh. They come to every session and stay through to the end. They are absolutely faithful to their duties and perform their work with great conscientiousness. But perhaps life has been so full of responsibility and hardship during the past few years that it is hard for them to shed their serious side and take time off for amusement.

Among the highlights of the week, of course, was the speech to the Assembly made by British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, in which he named the mandated territories in Africa which Britain was ready to turn over to UNO trusteeship. It was an extremely good speech, with many important points that I think we should remember. After stressing the fact that war crimes tribunals were establishing forever our point of view that aggressive war is a crime and that anyone who starts such aggression must pay the price, he uttered a warning which I think cannot be uttered too often – that human beings cannot be changed overnight. But this Assembly, he said, is a place where we “can grow together in a common endeavor” for our mutual benefit.

Then, after reviewing Britain’s part in both wars against aggressors, he concluded: “With the same courage and devotion with which we fought those battles, we now dedicate all our capacity, courage and achievement to building up a world of order and peace.” If all of us, whether we belong to great or small nations, inscribe these last few words on our hearts and never forget them, somehow we will win through to our objective.

On Thursday I attended a reception held in Albert Hall as welcome to the UNO delegates. The hall was filled to the very top gallery, and Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander presided. Besides the speeches, the choir of the Welsh Temple of Peace sang and there was a fine organ recital. The little incident I enjoyed more than anything else was the whispered remark from Lord Robert Cecil, who sat beside me. Looking up at the Field Marshal in the chair and listening to the choir singing some truly martial songs, he said: “We go about peace in a very belligerent way, don’t we!” I think the evening must have been a great satisfaction to him, however. So much of his life has been given to trying to make the old League a successful instrument to keep peace in the world, that it must be good to feel again the same spirit of hope stirring. This time the backing is stronger and broader, and therefore there is greater hope of success.

Earlier in the week, one of the delegates from our part of the world, Gustavo Guerrero of El Salvador, spoke of having taken part in the work of the first Assembly of the League of Nations, and he reminded his hearers of some of the pitfalls that lie ahead of this present organization just as they lay ahead of that organization.

In this connection, I particularly liked one thing that Foreign Minister Trygve Lie of Norway said in his speech on the same day. He emphasized the fact that the United Nations Charter, which is the law under which the Assembly is set up, is not a static document but may be amended (just as the Constitution of the United States has been amended.) It is this possibility of growth which I look upon as the most hopeful part of the work now being undertaken here. There are bound to be many problems and many changes in the years to come, but if we are flexible, I’m sure we can meet them.

Before the Security Council held its first meeting Thursday afternoon, I fell victim to a feminine desire and had my hair washed and nails polished. There are advantages to being a man. It takes so much less time to go to the barber!

19

January 22, 1946

LONDON – Since I have been here, I have been interested in comparing the wartime London I saw in 1942 and the peacetime London of 1946.

Almost everyone speaks to you of one great change – the blackout is over! However, though everybody extols the wonders of light, one has to confess that there really isn’t a great deal of illumination in the streets of London at night. Of course, it is better than it was when no one could even light a match without being ordered to put it out, but it is not Broadway, New York!

Many of the newspapers are still only four pages. It is quite evident that paper is still extremely scarce, and I marvel, just as I did before, at how much the news can be condensed.

Now to some of the other aspects of life in this great city. When I was here in 1942, London had gone through the Blitz and the great fire which had swept the heart of the city. Around Saint Paul’s, there was empty space wherever you looked. Since then, more bombs, including the V-1 and V-2 bombs, have added to the destruction.

I got some figures which were given out by the Ministry of Works last June. London has about 2,200,000 dwellings, and it was estimated that, of that number, about three-fourths received some kind of damage. In the London civil-defense region, over 100,000 dwellings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. In ten months, over 1,000,000 houses were damaged by rockets and flying bombs.

As rapidly as possible, repairs have been made, but these have been hampered by lack of materials and lack of manpower.

To really understand what the above figures mean, we have to translate them into human misery. Much of the damage was in the poorer parts of London. Though these sections have small houses, nevertheless they teem with human beings. It is true that many families have been moved to other places, but the percentage of people who have been moved is not as great as the percentage of homes destroyed, which means that people have doubled up in the available living quarters in a way which must be a great strain on the nerves and must create bad health conditions.

As to the clothes situation, utility clothes are still the main garments that can be purchased by the average woman. They were just coming in when I was here before. They are made to government specification, are under rigid price control, and are not subject to a purchase tax.

They are cheap, whereas uncontrolled luxury garments, with a high purchase tax, are very expensive. And even if you have the money to buy them, you may not have the points. No matter who you are, you have only 24 clothing coupons for a period of eight months.

A dress takes eleven coupons, a slip five, a girdle (when you can find one) five points, a pair of stockings three (and they are hard to find). A winter coat takes eighteen points, gloves two, a tailored suit eighteen, a blouse five.

It is easy to see from this list that to get one outfit a year would probably cost you more than your allotment of points. So the British women look as though they had worn their clothes for some time and I don’t believe they enjoy it any more than American women would.

Towels, curtain material, all materials by the yard and knitting wool all cost points. A young married couple have an advantage in that they are given extra points, because it is presumed that they are starting from scratch.

In America, my mother-in-law’s generation bought in greater quantities than we do at present because they often had more space in which to keep things. Over and over again, since I have been here, I have hoped that the older generation of British people also laid up stores of goods because, without such things put away years ago, I don’t see how they have managed to get along during these past few years.

Even in our hotel, I notice that the old man-sized bath towels are cut in half, and all the linen is worn!

20

January 23, 1946

LONDON – General de Gaulle’s resignation perhaps came as a surprise to many people, but I’m quite sure there must be a number of other statesmen, struggling with difficulties in their own countries, who must wish that they could follow his example.

Of course, it is extremely difficult for men trained in the military tradition to lead a country under a democratic form of government during a period of stress, strain and change. Everyone will have sympathy for De Gaulle’s feelings if they understand his problems. But they will also, I think, have sympathy with whoever now has to take hold, and with the people of France, who must have a great feeling of uncertainty about their future.

For those who lead nations, the period after a war is very hard. The incentive to sacrifice is over, and yet many of the problems are as difficult, and sometimes more difficult than if the war were still on. When you consider the problems that have arisen in Britain and the United States, and realize how much these are multiplied in every country in Europe, it makes you very sympathetic towards those who have to carry the burdens of state at the present time. Patience is certainly going to be a virtue in the war-torn countries for years to come.

Monday morning, I attended the meeting of the Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee. I think it should be clearly understood that this committee received from the Preparatory Commission a very carefully prepared group of recommendations. We are not meeting to take up what shall actually be done, but to recommend to the Economic and Social Council that they appoint certain commissions to study given subjects.

There was on the agenda a recommendation that the Economic and Social Council should establish a commission on human rights. This seems to me very important, since the Preparatory Commission suggests that it shall formulate an international Bill of Rights—make recommendations for an international declaration or convention on such matters as civil liberties, the status of women, freedom of information, protection of minorities, and prevention of discrimination on grounds of race, sex, language or religion. A few other matters come under this heading, but these alone will show you that such a commission is almost a necessity if we are to build peace.

The second recommendation was for the establishment of a temporary social commission. The Preparatory Commission’s report stresses the fact that it seems premature to recommend a permanent commission in this field, since the word “social” embraces such a wide variety of topics. A temporary commission is essential, however, because there must be a general review of international organizations in the social field and there must be particular consideration of the activities of the League of Nations in this field.

Pending the establishment of permanent machinery, the Economic and Social Council should authorize a temporary commission to take over, on an interim basis, the work of the League of Nations on social questions and to deal with other social problems requiring immediate attention.

The third point on the agenda was the establishment of a commission on narcotic drugs—a recommendation which was supported by China and with which, of course, we also concurred.

The fourth point dealt with the establishment of a demographic commission.

In its report, the Preparatory Commission had put the first three in a group of “must” commissions, and the fourth in a group of commissions which either should be established immediately or in the near future. There was some discussion on this, as a delegate from Canada pointed out that population studies and the question of the migration of peoples are of first importance in dealing with the causes of war. Nevertheless, I think the Preparatory Commission realized that the Economic and Social Council should be left some latitude as to when a demographic commission should be set up, since to do such work well would require trained people who might not be available immediately.

That ended our work for the morning. The chairman of the committee, Peter Fraser of New Zealand, is an extremely good chairman. He gave everyone an opportunity to be heard, and yet, in spite of translations which take time, the work of the committee moved forward smoothly.

A number of people thought they should say something in this committee about the ultimate things which they hoped would be studied by the various commissions, if set up. I hope, however, that no one is going to feel that, having said their say, they will not have to repeat their position before the commissions, which will make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council. It is most important that every member register before those commissions the position of his nation as represented by the deliberations of his whole delegation on various subjects.