ABSTRACT
Of one thing, the proponents of the infant United Nations were absolutely certain: the new world body would be a very different animal than its predecessor, the League of Nations. It would have to be if it was to deliver on the opening pledge of its Charter “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetimes has brought untold sorrow to mankind.” The League had, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav M. Molotov reminded the opening plenary of the UN’s founding conference in San Francisco,
betrayed the hopes of those who believed in it. It is obvious that no one wishes to restore a League of Nations which had no rights or power, which did not interfere with any aggressors preparing for war against peace-loving nations and which sometimes even lulled the nations’ vigilance with regard to impending aggression.1
