This review of the record of the United Nations is also something of a memoir of the late Víctor Belaúnde, who was closely associated with the organization from its beginning until his recent death. Among other things he served as president of the fourteenth general assembly. Not the least interesting aspect of the study is its point of view, that of a representative of a small state and of a Latin American state. Virtually the entire story of the U.N. is presented here, from the San Francisco Conference to the critical nineteenth session of the Assembly in 1965. The account includes Korea, Suez, Hungary, disarmament, the Congo, the Cuban missile crisis, and many other historic questions with which the United Nations has been involved. For Belaúnde, many if not most of these problems were the consequence of the expansionist policies of the Soviet Union and its Communist allies, motivated by a Marxist philosophy which was antithetical to the principles of the Charter and to the ethical and religious values which he deemed to be so important.
Not surprisingly, the study places considerable stress on the role of the Latin American states, both in the shaping and in the implementation of the Charter, suggesting that this role was often decisive, especially in the earlier years when the total membership was smaller. The study anticipates that one of the greatest contributions of Latin America in the future will be to serve as a link between the developed countries of the north and the emerging nations of the south. One hopes that such a role may indeed materialize.
All in all, this is an interesting interpretation of the work of the United Nations to date, told by one who had a significant part in shaping the record.
