United States National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Chairman: Milton S. Eisenhower Vice Chairmen : Detlev Bronk Executive Secretary: Charles A. Thomson June 7-14 June 9-15 June 12-18 June 14-18 June 16-25 June 19-22 June 24-25 Executive Committee: Erwin D. Canham Merle A. Tuve Howard E. Wilson Mrs. Louise Wright Calendar of Events June 26-July 23 June 27-July 1 Annual Convention of Junior Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Springs. Sixteenth Session of UNESCO's Executive Board, UNESCO House, Paris. National Council of Social Work, Cleveland. Annual Congress of International Federation of Newspaper Publishers and Editors, Amsterdam. International Conference on Adult Education, Elsinore, Denmark. Conference on the Role of Colleges and Universities in International Understanding, Estes Park, Colorado. Meeting of Executive Committee of U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, Washington, D.C. Second Institute on the United Nations, Mount Holyoke College, South, Hadley, Massachusetts. Advisory Committee on Educational Broadcasting, UNESCO House, Paris. Members: Barclay Acheson Henry Grattan Doyle Maj. Gen. Carl R. Gray, Jr. Howard Hanson Mrs. Charles E. Heming James Marshall DEPARTMENT OF STATE Publication 3520 Published with the approval of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget UNESCO SHOULD EXPLORE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN MASSES, PANDIT NEHRU TELLS INDIAN NATIONAL COMMISSION Development of Standard of Values Among Men Is Prime Minister Pandit Nehru, inaugurating India's National Commission for UNESCO, urged that the political aspects of the world situation be left to the United Nations. He asserted that the mass upsurges and working of men's minds which lay behind the political aspect should be the principal concern of UNESCO, adding: "So, I am glad that UNESCO is spreading out more and more, spreading out not only to the countries of Asia and Africa but spreading out in the sense that it has descended from the ivory tower' attitude. UNESCO has in it a number of eminent men and women, educationists, scientists and the like, the best this world can produce, but there is a risk that these prominent men may be living in their 'ivory tower' and rather lose sight of vital happenings and human earthquakes. Therefore, they should descend from that tower and approach problems from the point of view of human masses." that conditions differed in different countries and that behind the agrarian problem lay the tremendous poverty of the peasant masses of Asia. To say that all of this had nothing to do with UNESCO would not be the right approach, he declared, continuing: "We have to understand these things. We have to understand another factor also, that is to say, in the course of the last few hundred years the political center of the world was Europe-recently somewhat transferred to America. But still Europe remains in a sense the center of war or peace, the center of gravity from which political problems came and political conflicts arose. The great problems of Asia were rather neglected and enough attention was not paid to them, whether in the political or economic sphere. Now things have happened in the world which have resulted in giving an inevitable importance to Asia and that importance is likely to be greater and greater "We are today passing through a very highly vital and important stage in world history when another shift takes place in the center of gravity. What happens in Asia is likely to have a powerful effect not only on Asia but on Europe and the rest of the world. Therefore, it becomes important for us to consider the world problems in their proper perspective. It becomes important for great statesmen of the world, and of the United Nations and the rest, to see these things in their proper perspective. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru The Prime Minister declared that the major problem of Asia as a whole is the agrarian problem. "In India we have to face it," he said, "but, fortunately for us, we have not remained completely static in regard to the agrarian problem. We have perhaps gone too slowly; nevertheless, we have marched in a certain direction and tried to ease the burden on the vast masses of our agrarian population. We have further things in view to change the land system very greatly." He went on to say that in some countries in Asia even that much progress had not been made "I have sometimes stated before that there has been that lack of perspective, whether it is in U.N., UNESCO or any other organization, which has grown out of U.N. I know that there is a good deal of goodwill and a desire to do things but what I want is a mental appreciation of the fact that Asia will be dominant in the sense that certain problems dominate the world. Whether it is a problem of war or peace, or hunger or poverty, it will affect the rest of the world and engulf it if the people in other parts of the world are not careful about it. "It is extraordinary how we cannot get out of the rut of our own thinking. The world changes but the mind of man, which ought to be capable of changing even more rapidly than anything else, remains somewhat static. It does not adapt itself rapidly enough until disaster comes. Asia is changing rapidly and I want you to consider your problems in this context and in the light of this background." Asserting that in the world today there is obviously a tremendous sense of frustration in men's minds, a tremendous search for lost values and standards, with the result that most people have no anchorage or standard by which they can judge events or policy of their own actions, he continued: "Unless find some yard measure, some you standard of values it will not be good for us, or for humanity. After all, the whole history of human values points to something which humanity aims at. If those objectives become just material objectives, I cannot understand how that will solve any fundamental problem of ours. I think it is essential that the fundamental values should be appreciated and worked up to. "I think it is the business more especially of this great organization, UNESCO, to see to it that these values are maintained. Otherwise, we shall work in our narrow limited grooves and we shall fight and struggle because there will be no common binding factor amongst us. And in the great race that is going on in the world today, a race not between great Powers, but a race between the powers of construction and building up and the powers of destruction, unless we have the anchorage of those standards, the powers of destruction will win. Therefore, it is highly important that this organization should lay stress on and try to develop in a proper way these standards." EDITOR'S NOTE: The above was rewritten from the Hindustan Times of April 10. Foreign Books Brought to America To insure that the United States receives at least one copy of "every new book and pamphlet, published anywhere in the world, that might reasonably be expected to have interest to a research worker in America," 54 American libraries are now cooperating with the Farmington Plan1 in bringing foreign publications to this country. Under the plan each of the participating libraries-university, private, public, and Government-has accepted one or more categories of books as its individual purchasing responsibility. A master card file of all the books involved is kept at the Library of Congress in Washington. Copies of the file will be available in leading libraries throughout the United States. By this means scholars can locate available research material and borrow needed books or microfilm reproductions of them. Douglas H. Schneider Heads Douglas H. Schneider, formerly chief of the Public Affairs Overseas Program Staff of the Department of State, has assumed his new duties as director of the Mass Communications Department of UNESCO in Paris. After having lived abroad for a number of years, Mr. Schneider returned to this country in 1940 to join the staff of the Worldwide Broadcasting Foundation. When the United States entered World War II he became associated with the Office of War Information, and during 1943 and 1944 he directed radio operations in the Mediterranean Theater. Mr. Schneider Immediately after the war Mr. Schneider was placed in charge of the control of German mass communications media by the Division of Control of German Information. He was later transferred to the American Embassy in Paris, where, as Counselor of Embassy, he directed the educational exchange, cultural, and information programs. He became chief of the overseas program operations in Washington last September. 1 Announcement of the receipt of the first consignment of books under this plan appeared in the August 1948 issue of the NATIONAL COMMISSION NEWS. UNESCO CLEARING HOUSE FOR PUBLICATIONS Allons, IN DISTRIBUTION OF ESSENTIAL BOOKS ABROADion BY JACOB ZUCKERMAN In many aspects of its activities UNESCO tries more and more to fulfill the functions of a clearing house able to serve as an information and coordination center for specific fields of education, science, and culture. The Clearing House for Publications was the first section in the Organization which, from the start of UNESCO's program, carried the name and the functions of such a center. Its main tasks lie in two directions: the reconstruction of war-damaged libraries and the promotion and improvement of the international exchange of publications. In the two years of its operation the Clearing House was able to obtain a complete and detailed picture of library losses and needs in all those member nations which had been direct victims of the war. More than 1.000 institutions, including universities, schools, and research and public libraries, have communicated with UNESCO and have received active assistance. Combined with its survey of library losses and needs, the Clearing House for Publications made a survey of available library supplies in socalled "donor countries," asking them to indicate their holdings of surplus publications and their willingness to send these as gifts or on an exchange basis to war-damaged institutions. Many libraries responded to the UNESCO appeal, and up to the end of 1948 nearly 200,000 books, volumes of periodicals, maps, etc., could be allocated by the Clearing House. In its distribution policy UNESCO was particularly careful to avoid any book "dumping" but has worked out a plan by which recipient libraries can choose from lists, prepared by the donor or by UNESCO, exactly those titles which they actually need. The United States Book Exchange, Inc., and the British Book Center collect and list surplus publications in the hands of institutions and individuals which are not capable of making their duplicates directly available to institutions abroad. sued. fol "Art ms"; ed"; es in ppies Yet, in spite of all efforts to help warstaff. libraries rebuild their collections, a gre of important books cannot be made through the collection of surplus and stocks. These publications will have placed by microfilm copies usually obt Navery low cost. hing The Clearing House is also helping tions network of direct international excprovibooks which contribute so much to the may vhose ment of international understanding at in many instances, were discontinued orested war. As a medium through which lib who find exchange panels and thus establish The direct contacts, the Clearing House pulepreUNESCO Bulletin for Libraries, which four regularly appearing since April 1947 ament now goes to approximately 6,500 y not throughout the world. terms Procurement of books through gift change channels alone is, however, not'ill be The most important source of acquisit: Seppurchase through commercial channelse are majority of countries today find it diffionard impossible to purchase foreign publica: Rosticularly from "harder" currency areas. i come this barrier of currency restriwhich Clearing House has devised the UNE Coupon Scheme, which has excited mor than any other libraries project. The s initiated in December. It is hoped that end of an experimental year this pl semicontinued on a larger basis and that "hard" currency will be found in order) ment its present dollar reserve. Comice at desigrgani have Microfilm being sent to war-devastated libraries from UNESCO House. A shipment like this represents thousands of otherwise irreplaceable volumes. In order to enable libraries to make use of microfilm reproductions the Clearing House also distributed reading apparatuses. GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS "Books for Peace" is the title of the latest international project of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Its objective is to supply books interpreting American life and thought to Germany, Austria, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. The books are sent to the U.S. Information Centers, operated by the American Military Government, for distribution. The Federation's "School Supplies for Devastated Countries" project, launched in January 1948, has been enthusiastically advanced by affiliated clubs throughout the country. Individual schools in the American zone of Germany have been "adopted" by every district in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Connecticut, and by clubs in 16 other States. Clubs are sponsoring children and schools through the Save the Children Federation. Washington State has sent over $300 worth of supplies, plus many boxes of clothing and layettes. Similar activities have been carried out in Texas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Connecticut. Delaware clubs have reported 100 percent response to the school supplies project, and 128 clubs in Kentucky have contributed from $10 to $161 each. One Pennsylvania county established a "Friendly Book Shelf" in Amsterdam to which clubs send publications regularly. Another Pennsylvania club sends children's books to Jamaica, and another maintains a boys' orphanage in Belgium. How Overseas Prog an Clubs in Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Colorado have adopted families of children in Poland, Germany, and France. One district in Illinois has adopted Korea for its school supplies project; another district has sent over $1,500 worth of clothing, school supplies, and holiday gifts to its adopted school in Germany; another district is sponsoring a girls' school in Nanking. One club sponsors a Swedish school; another sponsors a foreign student through the World Student Service Fund. Another district supports one in a local teachers college. Iowa State Federation has supported 8 Dutch schools for the past 3 years. Alabama reports having sent school supplies to several countries and is aiding a Training College for the development of social workers in Greece. JEWISH PROGRAM AIDS IN Since 1946 the National Council of Jewish Women has carried on an extensive scholarship program to help in the social reconstruction of war-disrupted European Jewish communities. Under the program, qualified Jewish women from abroad come here to take graduate courses in social work, nursery-school education, nutrition, occupational therapy, and graduate nursing and medicine. Scholarship recipients agree to return to work in their homelands for at least two years after they complete their training here. Thus far 36 students have attended colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Already 12 students have returned home to assume positions of responsibility and to impart to others the knowledge they have gained here. One student is now working in Czechoslovakia, another with the child-care program in France, and a third in Holland as social-work director and teacher. In many countries these Council students are the first American-trained Jewish social workers. As they complete their courses the Council brings others to take their places so that at all times there are approximately 20 students attending American universities on Council scholarships. |