Speech by Liam Cosgrave to the 11th General Assembly of the United Nations

More than thirty years ago, my father, who was then President of the newly-established Irish Free State, addressed the League of Nations on the occasion of our country’s entry into that assembly.¹ I am proud to have the honour of succeeding him at an equally solemn moment today.

It is now ten years since Ireland first applied to join the United Nations. Ireland was then, as she is now, a peace-loving state accepting the obligations contained in the Charter and able and willing to carry out those obligations. None the less, she was during those years excluded from the Organisation – with other similar countries – by the exercise of the veto by one member country. We are glad that that anomalous situation has now been ended and that we are able to take part in the deliberations of this Assembly; deliberations which affect us as much as they affect every other nation, since what is at stake is nothing less than the peace of the world.

Even during the time when we could not be members, we did not lose confidence in the United Nations. We did not share the facile pessimism of those who declare, whenever an international crisis occurs, that the United Nations has failed. The extent of its success or failure can only be assessed by some historian of the future; although, if it should really fail, the future is not likely to possess historians. In the meantime, the Assembly represents the best hopes of man on earth. What men everywhere hope for is peace, and peace can only be found if we can assert, in international affairs, the same code of morality and decency that we try to observe in our personal relations. And in that effort this Assembly has a great part to play, for it is in this Assembly that the moral judgment of mankind makes known its verdicts. Moral values, as the distinguished delegate of the United States so rightly pointed out here the other day, are the business of this Assembly. And the very assertion of moral values by the representatives of world opinion is a force in itself. Each nation treasures its own good opinion of itself and is in some degree shaken if it earns the express reprobation of the world. Some nations, of course, are more sensitive in that respect than others.

I believe I shall have an opportunity, in the general debate, of stating my country’s position in relation to the great international issues of today. Here, I need say no more than that our attitude on all these matters will be profoundly affected by our own national traditions, notably by our Christian faith and our love of freedom. As Christians, we find ourselves unalterably opposed to that mechanistic totalitarian system which today holds so large a part of humanity in its grip. As the descendants of many generations who fought and suffered for Irish freedom, we believe we understand something of the feelings of those nations who in many parts of the world are still denied their liberty.

Our own country’s destiny is still unfulfilled. Ireland achieved unity – a unity of culture, of institutions and of laws – many centuries ago. Today, Ireland is a divided country, and a part of her territory is not yet under her control. We are determined to rebuild the unity of Ireland. We intend to pursue that aim here and elsewhere with unremitting resolution. But we shall never allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with our own problem – real and serious though it is – as to forget the common problem of us all: the great twin dangers of war and of enslavement which threaten to engulf our divided island together with the rest of humanity. The hope of averting these disasters lies in this Assembly: it is the future of mankind that is debated here. We have come to add one more voice to this great debate. It is our resolve that, with the help of God, Ireland’s voice will always be heard on the side of peace, of justice and of charity.