United Nations and Disarmament
Nov. 02, 1960
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.... There is, however, one area in which the United Nations has thus far been unable effectively to
marshal the moral force which it represents and to take effective action toward the dissipation of a
problem which poses the gravest threat to the world. It is a truism to say that the present world
arms race threatens not only the most destructive warfare which the world has ever seen, but,
indeed, the very existence of man and the conditions of his life on this planet. The failure of the
great Powers to reach an effective agreement on disarmament cannot be excused or justified on
the ground that the problem is a difficult or a complex one. No nation, no matter how large or
powerful, has the moral right today to insist that it can follow the policy of unlimited nuclear
armaments when such a policy implies consequences far beyond its power to control. Those
powers which today possess the capacity to wage nuclear warfare cannot refuse to take all
reasonable measures to lessen the threat of world conflict.
Unfortunately, we today see the nations of the world, both great and small, invoking their rights as
sovereign states, by following a course which, unless arrested, must lead irrevocably to disaster.
The great Powers stubbornly adhere to an armaments policy which threatens the most dire results
for all, and the smaller states, themselves aspiring to greatness but fearful of incurring the wrath of
those upon whom they today count for assistance, acquiesce silently. This path can lead only to
chaos and destruction. If man is to survive on this planet, the arms race which today clutches
mankind in its unreasoning and inexorable grip must be halted, and it is to the United Nations that
all nations, both large and small, must look as the medium to achieve this result. It is the task,
rather, the duty, of the smaller nations of the world to exert their utmost efforts to ensure that all
possible measures are taken to this end. We are pleased to observe that the smaller countries are
today playing a more aggressive and prominent role in the quest for an acceptable disarmament
formula, and Ethiopia pledges her complete support to the endeavour. God, the Supreme
Arbitrator, will judge us harshly if we fail.....
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Haile Selassie the First - November 2, 1960
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