Editing 79-11-A6 (section)

=== Transcript ===
On these broadcasts I haven't been bashful about criticizing the United Nations,
especially the General Assembly, which has shown on plenty occasions that it doesn't
care much for free speech and that it can be long on hypocrisy and short on good sense.
Just the same, for those of us who are skeptical about the U.N. 's performance, we can
take a little comfort from the fact that some of its lesser known programs may not be
such a bad investment, after all.

One expert on the technical aspects of the U.N., Francis Dale, now the publisher
of the Los Angeles HERALD-EXAMINER, but formerly our ambassador to the Geneva half of
the U.N., has given me some interesting facts. Frank Dale points out that Geneva is
the nerve center for the technical agencies of the United Nations, while New York is
the center of debate.

Mr. Dale says that the truth about the U.N. lies somewhere between the notion that
it is mankind's greatest hope for democratic principles and the idea that it is a total
waste of time and money.

Ambassador Dale contends that, on balance, we are really getting a pretty good
return on our overall investment in the U.N. Here's how he figures it: First, he
says, we have to see the U.N. as more than the General Assembly and Security Council.
It is actually a system of 14 special agencies, including the World Health organization,
the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, and so forth. In addition,
there is a group of 19 funds and programs which are part of the U.N. system. Most
widely known of them is UNICEF.

Mr. Dale estimates that our total contribution to all of these entities amounts to
about $2.37 per year for each American.

As for what we get for our money, he says, take a look at the World Health
organization. Twelve years ago it initiated a campaign to remove smallpox from the
face of the earth. Our contribution to this campaign amounted to about $25 billion.
But, as a result of its success, the Surgeon General in 1972 was able to terminate
our routine smallpox vaccination program here in the United States, at an approximate
annual savings of $140 million.

According to Ambassador Dale, other U.N. agencies such as the World Bank and the
U.N. Development program are also money-makers for the United States. Still other
activities are worth the costs, he says, not only in financial terms but in less
tangible ways, too. He points out that, despite its reputation for crazy resolutions
and rhetoric, the debating society side of the U.N. in New York generates plenty of
revenue for Americans. The U.N. diplomatic corps is estimated to spend some $180 million
a year on our shores.

That's only a sampling of some of the "plusses" that former U.N. Ambassador Frank
Dale cites when he says we should look behind the façade of the U.N. to see that we are
getting something--even if it isn't enough--for our investment. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.

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