Narrator
It's time for the Longines Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Longines Wittnauer Watch Company, maker of Longines, the world's most honored watch, and Wittnauer, distinguished companion to the world honored Longines.
Frank Knight
Good evening, this is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope: from CBS television news staff, Larry Lesueur and Winston Burdett. Our distinguished guest for this evening is His Excellency Leslie Knox Munro, ambassador from New Zealand to the United States.
Larry Lesueur
Mr. Ambassador, I know that New Zealand's population is only about the size of Connecticut, but i think it's even more remarkable that for the first time in history a man representing a single country, yourself, is the president of both the UN Security Council and the UN Trusteeship Council, And besides that, you are, of course, New Zealand's ambassador to Washington. Now, how do you get the time to do all this work?
Ambassador Leslie Knox Munro
Well, it is a big job, Mr. Lesueur. But I'm able to do it, I have a minister in Washington. I go backwards and forwards quite a lot. I have documents sent to me, and in so far as the Trusteeship Council is concerned, I have a Vice President, so he's got to do some of the work. And when I have to preside over the Security Council, then my colleagues in the Trusteeship Council are very happy to have the Vice President presiding over them. But it may come about that I have to have a meeting of the Trusteeship Council the morning and the Security Council will have to sit in the afternoon. and that for me, at any rate, too, will be a fairly long but important day.
Winston Burdett
Well, Mr. Ambassador, you also represent a country that is one of the sixteen allied nations with troops in Korea, which fought there and of course with a vital stake in the situation there. What do you feel about the prospects of getting a Korean peace conference?
Munro
Really, you know, Mr. Burdett, I don't know that I know much more than you do about that, but I'm inclined to think that there's a possibility of one coming about. I don't very much mind how it comes about, whether or where it's negotiated, but I think there may be a peace conference. What will be the outcome of it if we all do meet at Panmunjom or wherever the site is chosen for the meeting, it is impossible to say. But I have an idea that the Chinese want peace.
Lesueur
Mr. Munro, you are frequently called into consultation as a man representing one of the nations with troops in Korea. Now I wonder if I could ask you a question on the other side of the coin, what will happen if there is no peace treaty for Korea?
Munro
We have, Mr. Lesueur, an armistice. And if you look around the world today I think you'll agree with me that there are other places where armistices have continued for a very long time. The Middle East is an example. I think there's been an armistice there or a series of them for about the last six years. And I could imagine that if we didn't have a peace conference or a peace treaty an armistice continuing for a time which i would attempt to--the length which i would (illegible text) but continuing for a very long time in Korea. And that's better than a war.
Lesueur
Well, you sound very patient, sir. May I ask how many troops you have there and have you withdrawn any from Korea?
Munro
We have withdrawn them. We have two thousand troops there and we have two naval vessels.
Burdett
Mr. Munro, how does your government feel about the conduct of the preliminary talks at Panmunjom?
Munro
We are entirely satisfied with the way the American representative, Mr. Arthur Dean, conducted those negotiations. I've met Mr. Dean, I am most impressed by him. He's a splendid negotiator, he's a most able lawyer, he's a determined man, and we are completely satisfied with the way in which he has conducted these negotiations upon which by the way we've been consulted either (illegible text) Washington (illegible text).
Lesueur
Mr. Munro, to turn away from Korea for a moment to another part of your work, as president of the Security Council you've been having the case, haven't you, of Israel's charges against Egypt, that Egypt is blockading the Suez canal. Now, do you think the security council can actually do anything to reduce those tensions in the Middle East?
Munro
The first place, Mr. Lesueur, it can get them around the table. It can get the representatives of Israel and of Egypt, we have the representative of Lebanon as a member of the council, and we can sit around the table and talk, and sometimes talk does lead to peace. Then I think that we can thereby, if we're patient, we can reduce tension. A great deal depends, in my judgment, on the attitude of Russia. She vetoed the resolution which the western powers proposed, the three powers proposed, in respect to the Jordan waters. And that to me was a most unfortunate end of pressing business, because it was the first time she had exercised the veto in a matter where she was not directly concerned. But I profoundly hope that over this Suez matter she won't exercise the veto. And I've got some hopes that if we're patient we'll get somewhere in the Council.
Lesueur
Mr. Munro, would you say that the opposing policies of Russia and the free world are the main obstacle to the work of the UN Security Council?
Munro
I would say so, definitely. Why was the Security Council in a state of intermission for a state of eighteen months? Simply because the veto drove the powers to use the Assembly. And if we're going to have a series of vetoes, which with each reveal nothing more or less than this tension between the west and the communist powers, then we're going to have a permanent division and our work in the Council, the assemblies, in the Assembly, and in the committees, our work will be stopped.
Lesueur
Well, how about your other job on the Trusteeship Council? Aren't there some non-communist problems there? Don't you have a conflict between the powers that do have trusteeships and the powers which are non-colonial, don't have any land outside their domain?
Munro
We do have differences, it's true, we have the administering powers, mine's an administering power, we have Western Samoa as a trusteeship territory.
(illegible text)
Samoans you say?
Munro
Western Samoa. Well, now, it is a fact that the non-administering powers, Syria's an example of one today, India, el Salvador. it's sometimes true that they criticize our policies in these trusteeship territories. but although maybe they're critical, maybe they want them to get independence earlier than we think they should, in the whole, get independence, yet nevertheless we've got common principles, a common way of life, and I think with all our differences we get on pretty well. But we have Russia there, and she can never see any good in the work of any administering power, none.
Burdett
Sir, what is the feeling of your government on the question of the eventual recognition of red China?
Munro
Our policy is not dissimilar from yours. We know that the effective government of red China is the red government in Peking, we know that, but at the same time we do not recognize red China and we do not propose to recognize her until she shows good faith over Korea, until she takes part in a peace conference and shows that she's worthy to come into the community of nations.
Lesueur
So, though Indochina is not before the United Nations, of course, I wondered if you care to say how dangerous you think that the communist advance in Indochina is right now.
Munro
We attach very great importance to it. I don't know that we're unduly worried about that incursion across the middle of the peninsula to Laos, but the infiltration of the Vietminh troops, assisted, as they are, by Chinese supplies, are a matter of great concern to it. We think actually that the French are holding their position. We feel that the position at the present time, at any rate, has not deteriorated. God forbid that it should, because if Indochina went then we would think that the whole of Southeast Asia would be imperiled, and we would be in jeopardy ourselves.
Lesueur
Well, may I ask, sir, what the attitude of the New Zealand government would be towards France if she attempted to negotiate an armistice there on the same possible terms that we negotiated an armistice in Korea, perhaps, although there's no 38th parallel, of course.
Munro
I don't think we'd be critical altogether. It's French blood and a great deal of American treasure that are defending Indochina. The Vietminh has asked for negotiations, the French will do it only if they're satisfied, I should imagine, that the Vietminh means business and that the Chinese are genuine too. If there's an agreement, an armistice reached there which establishes free democracy, free elections, then we would be content, because we would feel that the French are reaching an agreement which they would consider proper for the stability of Southeast Asia.
Burdett
Do you think there's much chance of that, sir?
Munro
I'm not very optimistic about it, not very optimistic about it.
Lesueur
Well, if France were to negotiate now in Indochina, sir, I suppose it would be a negotiation from weakness, would it not?
Munro
Well, that depends on how you approach negotiations. After all, we were ready to negotiate in Korea, and that didn't show weakness, did it? I don't think it did, at any rate. Now as a matter as the french are concerned, I know what a terrible drain this is on their men and their resources. but if the Chinese, if the Vietminh was really in earnest, then if even though you negotiate from weakness that doesn't matter, provided you get a decent settlement. Whether you will or not, I don't know.
Lesueur
Your excellency, we don't see many New Zealanders in this country, except for Mr. Hillary, of course, who climbed Everest. But I wonder if you'd tell us how you New Zealanders feel about us over here.
Munro
Well, you know, we like you. We're associated with you in Korea, and in proportion to our population we rank third to you. We had three hundred thousand Americans through New Zealand during the last war, and they liked us so much that thousands of them married our girls, and your girls are happy--our girls are happy with you today. So we like your Americans, I can assure you.
Lesueur
Thank you very much, sir, glad to have you here tonight.
Knight
The opinions you've heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope was Larry Lesueur and Winston Burdett. Our distinguished guest was His Excellency Leslie Knox Munro, Ambassador from New Zealand to the United States.
Knight
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Knight
We invite you to join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the same time for the Longines Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hourr, broadcast on behalf of Longines, the world's most honored watch, and Wittnauer, distinguished companion to the world's honored Longines.
Knight
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