THE NEW YORK TIMES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1930.
TO PROTECT ART BY NEUTRAL FLAG
Roerich Museum Prqject Wins an Endorsement at Ceneva.
ITS HEAD SENDS THE NEWS
Under Provisions of the "Roerich Pact” Cultural Institution» Would Be Safe in Time of War.
The International Commission of Intellectual Cooperation of the Öfeague of Natlons, ln plenary Session, has expressed its eompiete ad- vocacy of the "Roerich pact" to pro- tect artlstic and scientific treasures in time of war, according to a cabie received by the Roerich Museum here from Professor Nicholas Roerich, now in Paris. The pact was presented to the commlssion by Jules Destree, Belgian Minister of ' State. The goverr.ment of Belgium, through the members of its Cabinet, has heartily supported the plan.
The Roerich plan 1s to create a flag, which will, be respected as international and neutral territory, to be raised above museums, cathedrals, libraries, universities and other cultural centres. The plan origiriated by the Roerich Museum was drgwn up by Dr. George Chklaver of iht University of Paris, in consuitation with Professor Albert Geouffre de ia Pradelle, member of the Hague Peace Court, vice President of the Institute of International Law of Paris and member of the law faculty, of the Sorbonne.
Article I of the pact provides that “educational, artlstic and scientific institutions, artlstic and scientific missions,. the personnel. property and collections of such Institution» and missions shall be deemed neutral and as such shall be protected and respected by belligerents. Protection and respect shall be due to the aforesaid institutions and missions, in all places, subject to the soverelgnty of the high contracting parties, without any discriminaUor. as to the State allegiance of any particular Institution or mission."
This projeet has been presented to foreign governments and to important institutions and personales all over the world, in a systemalic ef- for.t to secure an international dc- mand for its Adoption. Thousands of letters, the museum authorities say, have been received in response, brlnging the enthusiastic approba- tion of Cabinet Ministers, Ambassa- dors, national academies, State Governors, university heads, Senators, Congressmen, judges, lawyers, libra- rians, art gallery and museum direc- tors, clergymen, architects, authors, artists, scientists and lovers of cul- | ture.
Among the American» and American institutions giving approval to the projeet are Theodore Greiser, Ida M. Tarbell, Dr. David Starr Jordan, Vachei Lindsay, Claude Bragdon, Harvey Wiley Corbett, Padraic Colum, Üpton Sinclair, the National Academy Association, the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the Cleveland Society of Artists. the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Municipal Art Society of Baltimore, the Phillips Memorial Gallery of Washington, D. C., the Michigan Society of Architects, the Art Institute of Seattle, the Municipal Art Commission of Los Angeles, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Berkeley (Cal.) League of Fine Arts and the Educational Alliance.
Judge Antonio S. De Bustamente of the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague, wrote: ‘‘I consider hls [Professor Roerich’s] idea excellent and worthy of all praise. It ls a step further in the path already adopted by the Peace Conferences at The Hague in 1899 and 1907." Judge Loder of the same court wrote: “The Intention of establishing a special International flag to protect art treasures will be, I hope, soon realized. It bas my full symnathy."
Paul Hymans, Belgian Foreign Minister, praised the idea, and Dr. Chian Meng-Iing. Chinese Minister of Education, wrote: "An international pact which you have in mind is of fmmeasurable humanitarian value, since art treasures in a strict sense are universal propegty and belong to no one natlon or nations. I regret onlv that it has not been thought of before.”
Sponsors of the projeet now hope for its speedy reallzation. The museum is establishing brauch es in many cduntrles in Europa, South America and the Orient. •