The Third Alternative

If the fury of the Soviet reply to the proposals made by Secretary Marshall before the General Assembly was discouraging to sincere supporters of the United Nations, it must have sounded like the crack of doom to proponents of world government. By this time it should be clear that, if "World Government or World Destruction" represents a complete choice of alternatives, the future is very bleak indeed.

Successful government at any level, national or supra-national, requires a certain area of agreement among the governed. And Mr. Vishinsky demonstrated rather conclusively that up to now there has been no meeting of minds between the leading citizens of Washington and Moscow. The successful functioning of a supra-national government also requires the existence of supra-national loyalties, which are not present except to a very limited degree.

Secretary Marshall's proposals represent an example of the correct approach to the problem of making the U. N. a more effective agency. The recommendations, even if not accepted, will serve to focus attention on the continuing task of maintaining the peace. A sudden leap into Utopia is not to be expected. Even gradual change will not be effected without a good deal of inflammatory debate. But the gradual approach, however discouraging and unproductive it may appear at times, is the approach that in the long run will yield results. Prophets of doom who insist that the only salvation of the world lies in something so fanciful as immediate world government, are detracting from the potential strength of the drive for peace and security by diverting attention from more productive channels.