1942: United Nations

The term refers to the combination of nations opposed to those designated as Axis Powers in World War II. More technically, the United Nations are the twenty-six signatories to the 'Joint Declaration' signed in Washington Jan. 1, 1942, and those who subsequently adhered to it. The original signatories were 'the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia.' Mexico adhered on June 5; the Philippines on June 10; Ethiopia on Oct. 9, 1942. Other states or 'Authorities Which Are Not Governments,' willing to accept the same obligations, are invited to adhere to the Declaration.

By the terms of this agreement (not a ratified treaty) the signatories accept the 'Atlantic Charter' of August 14, 1941. They are convinced that 'complete victory over their enemies is essential to defend life, liberty, independence and religious freedom, and to preserve human rights and justice in their own lands as well as in other lands;' they assert that they are 'engaged in a common struggle against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world;' and each pledges itself; (1) 'to employ its full resources, military or economic, against those members of the Tripartite Pact and its adherents with which such government is at war;' and (2) to 'cooperate with the governments signatory hereto and not to make a separate armistice or peace with the enemies.'

Various other agreements among signatory states may be regarded as auxiliary documents. Among these may be mentioned the Inter-Allied Agreements of June 12 and Sept. 24, 1941; the joint Declaration of Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland and Yugoslavia of Jan. 14, 1942, establishing the Central and Eastern European Planning Board; the Soviet-Polish Agreements of July 30 and Dec. 4, 1941; the Anglo-Soviet Agreements of July 12, 1941, and June 11, 1942.

The chief bond which holds the United Nations together is the Lend-Lease Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on March 11, 1941. It is an amazingly foresighted statute, which Prime Minister Churchill called 'the most unsordid act in history.' It avoids the rigid financial requirements of the past, and thus escapes the danger of repeating the unpleasant debate over war debts. The President is authorized to transfer to other countries, which he designates as eligible, defense funds appropriated by Congress; and 'the benefit to the United States may be payment or repayment in kind or property or any other direct or indirect benefit which the President deems satisfactory.' Even now, it is not a one-sided affair. Wherever American forces are located, large contributions from the locality enter the balance sheets. British inventions for war purposes, of incalculable value, are shared with us. British barrage balloons may be seen on the Pacific Coast, and British vessels and even factories have been sent across to America. As a result, the war effort tends to be a common one.

Thirty-five countries have thus far been declared by the President to be eligible under the Lend-Lease Act, and with an increasing number of these, master agreements have been signed, which include the famous Clause Seven: 'In the final determination of the benefits to be provided to the United States of America by the Government of ........ in return for aid furnished under the Act of Congress of March 11, 1941, the terms and conditions thereof shall be such as not to burden commerce between the two countries, but to promote mutually advantageous economic relations between them and the betterment of world-wide economic relations.' These terms are to include provision for agreed action, 'open to participation by all other countries of like mind, directed to the expansion, by appropriate international and domestic measures, of production, employment, and the exchange and consumption of goods, which are the material foundations of the liberty and welfare of all peoples; to the elimination of all forms of discriminatory treatment in international commerce, and to the reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers.'

Enormous amounts, not only of munitions, but of ships and other means of transportation, food, medicines, supplies of all kinds, have been provided to allies under lend-lease terms. President Roosevelt has described the Lend-Lease system as 'the prime mechanism by which the United Nations are pooling their entire resources.' Lend-Lease activities are under an administrative unit of the United States Government, but they involve many other agencies of the Government, and much consultation and negotiation with the various allies. The distribution of funds and war supplies depends upon the war needs and strategy of the United Nations.

The potentialities of Lend-Lease are large. It is clearly intended to substitute economic internationalism for economic nationalism; and the commitments made look toward expansion of production. The exigencies of joint war effort will doubtless remove many barriers to trade, and pave the way toward freer trade in a post-war world. The aim is not merely economic advance, but also social progress. Thus, contracts made with South American countries continue economic aid for several years after the war, arrange for health and sanitation in rubber-producing areas, or contain a 'fair wages' clause for laborers in those countries.

Organization of the United Nations has been developing very slowly. A certain number of separate agencies have been created, and others will doubtless appear. Most of these were for the purpose of meeting the pressing needs of supply. Between the United States and Great Britain there have been formed the Combined Raw Materials Board, the Export Markets Committee, the Combined Food Board, the Combined Production and Resources Board, the Joint Aircraft Committee, the Joint Munitions Adjustment Board, the Combined Military Transportation Committee, the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board, and the Combined Meteorological Committee. With Canada the United States maintains the Materials Coordinating Committees and the Joint War Production Committees. Australia and the United States have an Allied Supply Council. The International Wheat Council has as members the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and Argentina. There is an Inter-American Financial and Economic Advisory Commission, an Inter-American Development Commission, and an Inter-American Defense Board. In the field of political and military direction, there have been set up the Combined Chiefs of Staff system between the United States and Great Britain; the United States-Canada Joint Defense Board; the United States-Mexico Joint Defense Board; the Inter-American Defense Board; and the Pacific War Council, which includes the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, the Netherlands, and the Philippines.

Changes are constantly being made, but thus far there is no coordinated organization of the United Nations, no one organ in which all are represented; and there has been much criticism and demand for more unified military command, for a more central political direction, and for greater representation upon the part of other United Nations, some of whom appear to be discontented. Mr. T. V. Soong, Foreign Minister of China, declared that China desires 'to see set up as quickly as possible, an Executive Council of the United Nations, and to help evolve therefrom a workable world order.' Russia has had no direct participation in United Nations organization (perhaps because of her current relationship to Japan), nor have many others. In terms of direction, it is thus far little more than a British-American enterprise. This is a matter of some importance. The tasks of reconstruction after the war will be enormous and pressing; it will not be possible to provide food, to re-establish political order, to bring about economic reconstruction, and other such tasks by private enterprise as in the past. It will require international organization for such jobs, and the organization should be ready when the time comes. Much of this could be the agencies set up by the United Nations for the joint war effort, and simply carried over into the phase of reconstruction to follow. If these states can not work efficiently together for war purposes, the task of rebuilding thereafter will be the more difficult. Moreover, it is hoped by many that through the United Nations, under the spur of war, an organization may be developed which would lead on into the permanent system of world order which it is now recognized that the community of nations must have. These aims are included in the Declaration by the United Nations and in the Atlantic Charter. The United Nations must be regarded, therefore, as a continuing agency, not merely for winning the war, but for reconstruction after the war, and for establishing ultimately a permanent system of international order.