The Cuban Project

Last May, representing the United States government, Abram Chayes argued before the International Court of Justice that United Nations members should not be allowed to refuse to contribute to the support of U.N. projects which they oppose. When the court agreed with him, its decision was taken as a major U.S. victory.

Now the U.N. Special Fund is considering a $4 million grant to Cuba for agricultural development. A pilot project to last six months and cost $100,000, has already been approved. The United States provides roughly a quarter of the Special Fund's money, and there are members of Congress who do not regard Cuban agriculture as a suitable investment for a million U.S. dollars.

Despite the Fund's consistent policy--until now strongly supported by the United States--of selecting its projects according to their technical feasibility without regard for any political considerations, Representative Robert Sikes (D-Fla.) maintains that "there should be firm resolve on the part of the United States to make to contribution to any U.N. fund which is used to thwart the foreign policies of the United States."

Admittedly, the improvement of Cuban agriculture is not currently a part of the United States' Latin American policy. Neither, however, did the U.N. operation in the Congo proceed in accordance with the national interest of Belgium or the Soviet Union. Paul Hoffman, Managing Director of the Fund, has pledged that no U.S. funds will be used for the Cuban project. Seeking such assurances, however, only gives added strength to charges made abroad that the United States regards the International organization merely as a means for forcing other countries to help execute American foreign policy. It can of course be argued that the United States should not try to hamper Castro's activities by starving the Cuban people. But in any event, if helping support the agricultural project in Cuba is distasteful, it should still be accepted as part of the cost of the benefits which United Nations programs provide.