Thursday, April 12, 1962 University Daily Kansan
Page 7
Model United Nations Has a Rocky History
(Continued from page 1)
Chancellor Malott again opened the conference and WREN again handled radio coverage. The 1947 session was especially trying for the Russian delegation and it twice walked out. The first walkout came after a protest over Poland's proposed political and economic sanctions on Franco Spain.
THE SECOND walkout occurred when Turkey proposed U.N. control of Dardenelles. The Russian leader grabbed a microphone and cried, "I see that the Soviet delegation, which would like to participate in an aura of trust and cooperation, can no longer endure the gangling up tactics of certain nations."
He then stormed out of Hoch followed by Poland, Ukraine and Czechoslovakia.
After the conference Capt. H. Cotton Minchin, British consul in Kansas City, who attended the meeting as a guest called the meeting "extremely encouraging." He said that similar meetings should be conducted throughout the world especially in Russia."
In March 1947 KU students attended a mock United Nations conference at Oklahoma A&M college at Stillwater to serve as the Russian delegation. The convention was the first time that mixed racial groups met on the Stillwater campus.
Two hundred delegates from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri participated. The Russians (KU students) walked out of the conference to force U.S. acceptance of Russian proposals.
AFTER THE Oklahoma A&M conference, plans were started for the National Intercollegiate United Nations association conference to be held on Nov. 17, 1947.
Former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes accepted an invitation to address the 2,000 delegates. An invitation was extended to the then Secretary of State, George Marshall.
Edward Stettinius, former Secretary of State and chancellor of the University of Virginia, was the featured speaker at the conference.
Byrnes had to cancel his appearance because of poor health, while Marshall was in London and President Truman was touring the country.
The original group of 2.000 was cut to below 1.000 delegates because of housing difficulties and the fact that extremely large groups were too unwieldly in past conferences.
An international university in Benares, India, accepted an invitation and sent five delegates to the conference.
MOCK UNITED Nations interest cooled off in the next few years and no Mock United Nations was held in 1948 or 1949. But a Model General Assembly of the United Nations was held on Saturday morning, Nov. 20, 1950 to give high school students an idea of U.N. procedure. Four hundred and fifty high school students attended the conference.
A KU student from Russia, Milan Zvonicek, a delegate from the U.S.S.R., presented Russia's proposal for removing the threat of a new war and strengthening the peace and security of nations.
Zvonicek, speaking in his native tongue—which was interpreted by a graduate student—called for reduction of armaments and accused a number of countries of distributing propaganda for a new war.
The Russian proposal was defeated.
The session was held in Fraser Theater and was sponsored by the International Club, the International Relations Club, the All Student Council, the Inter Co-op Council, the Independent Student Association, the Negro Student Association, the Intra-Fraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, Tau Sigma and the Y.M.C.A.
THE FOURTH United Nations conference was planned and sponsored by the University Extension Bureau under the leadership of Frank T. Stockton, dean emeritus of the School of Business.
Three speakers were featured at the meeting. They were V. G. D. Stavridi, director of the reference and publication division of the U.N. department of public information, Amiya Chakravarty, visiting professor of humanities and former adviser to the U.N. delegation from India and Mrs. Florence Reynolds, U.N. representative for the food and agriculture organizations.
The theme for the conference was "Know Your United Nations Better." The public information department of the United Nations joined in the presentation of the program.
"We want to bring the United Nations and its program and problems within the reach of people in this area," Dean Stockton said.
THE UNIVERSITY Extension continued to spearhead the Model United Nations by joining with the International Club in presenting a U.N. session at Leavenworth on Nov. 5, 1951. The meeting was opened by Dean Burton W. Marvin of the William Allen White School of Journalism, who spoke on "Do You Know Your United Nations?"
A similar session was held Saturday, Nov. 17, in Strong Auditorium and 250 high school students attended. The speakers were Chakravarty and Chubb.
A Model United Nations Assembly was not held again until March of 1958 and 65 students from 14 colleges and universities in a four-state area attended the meeting.
ficer in the Middle East, Miss Emile B. Ader, former member of the United States Information Agency, and Roy D. Laird, assistant professor of political science.
Special speakers were John Steiniger, former foreign service of-
IN 1959 the KU-Y and the political science department joined in the sponsorship of the Model United Nations. A steering committee of students was formed to serve as the administrative body for the event. Faculty advisers were Clifford Ketzel and Roy Laird, assistant professors of political science.
Robert Nebrig was chosen as chairman of the steering committee. "We felt that the University students, as a campus, were doing nothing in the area of international relations. Since starting the ball rolling for the Model U.N., we have found much enthusiasm for the project among student groups."
Enthusiasm built up for the event. Red China used marchers, banners slogans and other tricks to attempt to gain recognition hoping to gain admission to the United Nations.
Three hundred students expressed interest in the event, a surprising number over the 40-65 students hoped for.
Former President Harry Truman accepted an invitation as speaker for the opening convocation in Hoch Auditorium. After his speech the conference moved to Allen Field House for the General Assembly meeting.
The Communist Chinese attempts to gain admission were halfway successful. While the students voted as nations to table China's admission, as individuals they voted to admit Red China.
Immediately following the assembly vote nearly one-third of the member nations stalked disgustedly out of the meeting.
An Indian spokesman angrily said before walking out: "This assembly is completely prejudiced and narrow minded. We will join the Soviet bloc."
The Soviets had already walked out.
Students voted as member nations on Friday and as individuals on Saturday and there were no similarities in the voting.
LAST YEAR there were 87 nations and eight blocs represented with over 400 students participating. James J. Wadsworth, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and president of the Peace Research Institute, delivered the keynote address.
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The session was marred by a riot during the opening session with approximately 25 men and women chanting, throwing bundles of chopped-up newspapers and holding a sign that said "Cuba, Si! Russia, No!"
Firecrackers were shot in the first
balcony and after the Secretary-General was unable to restore order, he dispatched the guards, members of the Pershing Rifles, to break up the riot, but they were unable to stop it.
This year the Soviets have been accused of hiding a microphone in a Steering Committee meeting.
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