THE PROBLEM OF RENDERING ASSISTANCE 297
kinds of formal difficulties were placed in his way.1 This was
done, of course, mainly for political reasons, out of considera-
tion for the Soviet Union and the friendly relations which were
being established between it and many of the states represented
at Geneva. It was thus possible to prevent the question from
coming up for discussion at an official session of the League
Council. Thus the issue was already decided against Dr.
MowinckeL It is impossible to give any details of what took
place at the private session of the Council called by Dr.
Mowinckel; it was a stormy meeting which lasted two hours,
and Dr. Mowinckel spoke several times in defence of his
standpoint. We only know that there was a sharp conflict
between the two views—that which emphasized the moral
duty of the community of peoples towards the victims of a
fearful disaster, and that which placed first considerations of
political factors and interest. Dr. Mowinckel, though supported
by some of the delegates, had at last to own himself beaten. It
was pointed out to him that, in spite of its statutes, which allow
of any question being brought up which is of importance to
the comity and peace of the nations, the League of Nations
must in practice not lose sight of political factors—for example,
the fact that the Soviet Union was not at that time a member
of the League.
The Council finally decided that Dr. MowinckePs motion
should not be placed upon the order of the day of the League
of Nations, but asked him, as President of the Council, to
approach the International Red Cross. It was obvious from
the first that this could not be successful, in view of the
dependence of the Red Cross Societies, and therefore their
international committee at Geneva, on the various states and
their interests.
Now the view may be taken that the League of Nations,
1 According to the Statutes of the League of Nations the president of t&e
Council has the right to bring any question \vhatever before it at his own
discretion.