Book Review: A History of the United Nations Charter
| Date | 01 September 1959 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070205901400311 |
| Author | Hugh G. Thorburn |
| Published date | 01 September 1959 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
222
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
true
of his
analysis
of Soviet
policies
since
the death
of
Stalin:
Professor
Corry
displays
knowledge
and
insight
here
which
are
the
more
remarkable
for
a scholar
who
could
not
use
original
Soviet
sources.
Some
critical
comments
will
be
evoked
by
this
book,
for
ex-
ample,
the
author's
treatment
of
the
German
question,
of
the
Suez
episode,
of peaceful
co-existence,
of
some
technological
and
military
matters.
This,
however,
is
inevitable
in
a
work
dealing
with
a
problem
so
complex
and
controversial as
the
relationship
between
the
Western
powers
and
the
Soviet
Union.
Professor
Corry's
thesis
is
that
"the
basic
aim
of
the
Soviet
leaders
is
security
of
the
Soviet
Union
by
increasing
its
strength
and
weakening
its
potential
enemies."
(p.
70.)
However,
he
realizes
that
the
nature
of
the
Soviet
regime
enables
it
to
effect
profound
changes
in
policies
in
the
pursuit
of
this
goal,
and as
a careful
and
thoughtful
observer
he
warns
that
unless
the
West
can
"achieve
within
itself
the
necessary
unity
by
negotiation
and
agreement,
leadership
will
clearly
fall
to
the
Soviet
Union
whose
technique
for
these
matters
is force and
power.
What
is
at
stake
now
is
not
so
much
our capacity
to
maintain
a
com-
bination
against
a
military
threat
as
our
ability
to
concert
together
wise
economic
and
political
policies
which
will
preserve
the
strength
of
the
West
and
provide
a
focus
for
rallying
the
uncommitted
nations
of
the
world.
If
we
cannot
do
this,
we
shall
lose all
command
of
events
without
the
aid
of
hydrogen
bombs."
(p.
101.)
McMaster
University
D.
NOvAK.
A
HISTORY
OF
THE UNITED
NATIONS
CHARTER.
By
Ruth
B.
Russell,
assisted
by
Jeannette
E.
Muthur.
1958.
(Toronto:
Burns
&
MacEachern.
xviii,
ll40pp.
$12.50.)
This
is
a
complete
and
well-documented
account
of
the
events
leading
up
to
the
signing
of
the
United
Nations
Charter.
Its
great
length
(966
pages
of
text,
plus
103
pages of
appendixes)
and
its
intimate
detail
prevent
it
from
being a
book
to
be
read
by
even
the
most
conscientious general
reader.
Rather
it
must
serve
as
a
reference work:
the fate
of
most
"definitive
studies."
However
it
is
a
well-written,
fair
and
balanced
presentation.
The
authors
caution
the
reader
that
the story
is told
from
the
point
of
view
of
the
executive branch
of
the
United
States
government. This
means
only
that
it
is
the
source
of
most
of
the
research
material
used,
and
no
evident
bias creeps
in
on
that
account.
The
story
begins in
the
early
years
of
war
with
the
failure
of
the
League and
the
plans
for
a
new
international
organization
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