UNITED NATIONS: Smoke-Blue

The world, which has so far failed to organize itself as one world, at least and at last got a symbol of unity: a worldwide flag. At Lake Success, the U.N. Assembly’s Legal Committee took five minutes to approve a secretariat design: a white polar projection map of the earth’s seas and continents on a smoke-blue background. As with the U.N. emblem adopted last year, the earth was shown girdled with olive branches. For the present, nobody would be required to pledge allegiance to the flag. But it would be handy for identifying U.N. outposts and traveling commissions. Once the flag has been formally adopted by the Assembly, the secretariat promised, instructions would be issued on who can fly it. Well-wishers took note of the small but significant advance: the League of Nations had never had a flag.