712 



proposal through the Assembly which assumed that the "inactive 

 Members-' would not eventually renew their participation in AVHO." 



RETURN OF THE VSSR AXD EASTERN EUROPEAN STATES 



Thus by a "fictitious position" that Member States who had termi- 

 nated their memberehip in "WHO were nevertheless Members ("in- 

 active") ; by continuing to assess them as if they were active ISIembers; 

 by refusing to resort to any type of punitive acts or by "lecturing'' 

 against them in the Assemblies: by continuing to invite them back 

 into the fold ; and by preparing the way for settlement of payments 

 in arrears, the resumption of active partici]:)ation of Russia and the 

 Soviet Bloo States in WHO became a reality. Albania, Bulgaria, 

 Poland and the I'SSR were represented at the tenth Health Assembly 

 of WHO in May 1957. Czechoslovakia and Rumania resumed active 

 participation in 1958, and Hungary became an active member in 1963. 



For what it is worth as a lesson in diplomacv, the patient ex])ressions 

 and actions of the Members and the Assembly were specifically de- 

 signed to facilitate the return of the separated States of WHO back 

 to active participation. "Little attention was given to the legal and 

 other relevant aspects, although they were not completely ignored." ''* 

 Although all of the States concerned had originally notified the Orga- 

 nization that they no longer considered themselves Meml^ers of WHO, 

 none objected to the Assembly's persistent thesis that they were merely 

 resuming active participation. '^^ 



THE CHINA QUESTION CONSIDERED POLITICAL 



The political question of the Republic of China vei-sus Red China 

 came u]) early in the liistorv of WHO. The third Health Assembly 

 ■"-as notified that the Republic of China wished to withdraw from 

 WHO, presumably promj^ted by financial considerations. The notifi- 

 cation wa'^ by telegram, dated 5 ]May 1950. Another telegram from the 

 Central People's Government of the People's Rei^ublic of China, 

 dated 13 May 1950, advised that the Republic of China should not be 

 seated at the Assembly anyway, since it was not the legal government 

 representing the Chinese people.'^ Finally, the Assembly (in plenary) 

 accepted a resolution, without discussion or vote, which substituted 

 "China" for "Republic of China" and which stated that "the resurnp- 

 tion of China of full participation in the work of the Organization 

 will be welcomed." ^^ However, as Calderwood states : 



By treating the communication from Formosa as a com- 

 munication from a Member of the Assembly, in effect, [the 

 action] recognized the Government in Formosa as the Gov- 

 ernment of China [all China]. The Assembly's subsequent 

 decision * * * inregard to the settlement of China's financial 

 obligations to the Organization when China resumed active 

 participation, had the same effect. ^^ 



"^ Ibid. pajTPS 21-22. . 



'* Thid.. nacTP 2fl. 



"= Ibifl.. pasre 26. 



™ "Offleial Records of WHO," (2S). pasos 555-556. 



'■ Calderwood. op. cit., "Memhersliip in the WHO"', page 2S. 



~^ Ibid., page 27. 



