On the fifth anniversary of the ratification of the U.N. Charter, the world stands no nearer to permanent peace than it did in 1945. Peace treaties are still unsigned, the Cold War is still raging, and the East-West cleavage in the world is much more clearly defined. China has gone Communist, Germany appears to be permanently divided, and we have even had a little "hot" war in the Pacific. But the fact that the United Nations is still meeting at all, and that conference tables still exist after five years of vetoes, boycotts, slanders, and unilateral action, can be taken as an encouraging sign.

The prompt action in Korea has helped remove the stigma of futility from the U.N. Even if the actual armed intervention was largely American, the spiritual and propaganda value of the Security Council was enormous. But that authorization was is much still to be done if the apparent upswing in the fortunes of the U. N. is to continue.

The Acheson Plan of calling the General Assembly to action in an emergency appears sound. It will bypass the Soviet veto in the Security Council, and thus make the U.N. effective in handling the really important international problems. But it is obvious that troop support for the U. N. will have to come largely from the big powers, no matter how many nations are involved in U. N. Police actions.

In connection with the Big Five, the U.S. must sooner or later recognize that Chiang's Formosa is not a major power. The carrier Communist China is allowed into the U.N., the more favorable are that body's chances for success, particularly in dealing with the difficult situations in Formosa and Korea. The occupation, rehabilitation, and administration of Korea will be a major test, and the whole value of the Korean expedition in the eyes of Asia will depend on how well the U.N. can handle the ambitious Syngman Rhee and the equally ambitious General MacArthur. The disposition of Formosa and tension in Europe will provide other problems best solved collectively.

Along with alerting America, the Korean war has reemphasized the difficulties facing the U.N. After five years of watching it is action, the world cannot feel sure of the U.N.'s success. But surely its failure would mean the failure of the hope for peace.