United Nations Staff Raise $15,750
for Europe's Flood Victims
Checks totalling $15,750, contrib
uted by United Nations staff members
for the relief of victims of the recent
floods in the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and Belgium, have been
presented to the representatives of the
three countries by Secretary-General
Trygve Lie. The Netherlands received
$9,000, the United Kingdom $4,500,
and Belgium $2,250.
The final sum collected in the ap
peal, launched soon after the first re
ports of the flood havoc reached New
York, is expected to be about $17,000.
At a ceremony held in Mr. Lie's of
fice on March 19, John P. Humphrey,
Director of the Human Rights Di
vision and Chairman of the Secretariat
Collection Committee, explained that
some additional contributions were
still expected from missions and cent
res throughout the world.
Presenting the checks, Mr. Lie ex
pressed his sympathy with the peoples
of the three countries, and thanked
the staff members for their contribu
tions. Belgium was represented at the
brief ceremony by its Foreign Min
ister, Paul van Zeeland, and the United
Kingdom and the Netherlands by their
permanent United Nations representa
tives, Sir Gladwyn Jebb and D. J. von
Balluseck.
The representatives of the Nether
lands and Belgium expressed their
gratitude for the generosity shown by
the United Nations staff. Mr. van
Zeeland said that the contributions
had not in fact come as a surprise be
cause, knowing the ideals for which
the United Nations stood, he realized
that implicit in these were the feelings
of generosity, humanity and simple
kindness which had resulted in the
present gifts.
Sir Gladwyn Jebb described the gift
as being far from a "modest sum" but
rather "an extremely generous gift"
when one considered that from some
2,000 to 3,000 persons an amount as
large as $17,000 had been collected.
The United Kingdom representa
tive also stressed that it often took
an act of God to bring out solidarity
in international relations. The contri
butions showed that harmony and
agreement could be achieved at the
United Nations, he said. Sir Gladwyn
added that while this was sometimes
demonstrated even in the political
field, it was still more apparent on the
humanitarian and social side, and in
the helping of others.
