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Solomon Pratt as Foreign Minister leading the debate to bring China into the United Nations. Right behind him was seated George Coleridge Taylor, Sierra Leone's then Head of Chancery at the U.N. Mission.
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A 96 years old retired senior Sierra Leone politician of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) has yesterday May 31st 2016, paid tribute to the late George Coleridge Taylor whose funeral was held yesterday.
According to Pa Solomon A. J. Pratt, who was consoling relatives of the late international diplomat and civic educationist, whilst it was Pratt who indeed created the strategy and led one famous debate at the United Nations, it was George Coleridge Taylor who actually made the outcome successful because it was him who did all the hard research in the background. “Pa Pratt further showed his Autobiography book called JOLLIBOY! to the gathering and pointed out that the very first photograph which opened the book was that of him and Coleridge Taylor on that day. Photo accompanies this report. “"That is to let you know how I cherished what we achieved on that day," the 96 years old APC Strongman asserted proudly at the Masonic Freemason Lodge Temple in Freetown. “"If Sierra Leone had not gotten Coleridge Taylor in that position at that point in time, I very much doubt if China would have been restored to the UN in 1971.
Yes, I did the debate but Coleridge Taylor did all the academic background research." Pa Pratt eulogised the late man who was lying in his coffin. “Continuing, Pa Pratt explained: "As George Bush would make a criticism of China, there would be Coleridge Taylor sitting behind me, passing me the appropriate quotation from his research that I should use to reply to Bush and indeed we were just great that wonderful day".“Please see below for more details.
Pictorial Display of Funeral of Late George Coleridge Taylor
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| The Cover Of The Hymn Sheet For The Late George Coleridge Taylor |
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| A Cross Section of Family Members at the Funeral Service |
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| Representatives of the Sierra Leone Guards and Scouts Society in Attendance to Pay Their Last Respect to the Late Mr. George Colridge Taylor |
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| Students of The Prince of Wales School in the Paying Their Respect to the Late Great Man |
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| Metropolitian Police Officers Carrying the Remains of Mr. George Colridge Taylor out of the Church |
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| Metropolitian Police Excorting the Hearse to the Cemetary |
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| A Cross Section of Sympathizers in the Procession to the Cemetary |
Getting China's Rights Restored Back at the UN
Extracts from Autobiography of Solomon A. J. Pratt
CULLED FROM PAGES 218 – 220 OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY NAMED JOLLIBOY
I was acknowledged as the unofficial leading spokesman for the Group of 77, a U.N. unofficial group, mainly embracing countries from the Third World. The main item for discussion at one of the U.N. Sessions concerned ‘The Restoration of the Legitimate Rights of the Peoples Republic of China’. Up to that time, with the active support of the U.S.A. and the western nations, the United Nations’ Seat for China was held by Taiwan, General Chang Kai Shek’s ‘Free China’ and not by Peking (Beijing), Communist China, Mao Tse Tung and Chou En Lai.“ “The President of that U.N. Session was Foreign Minister Malik of Indonesia.
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| Solomon A.J. Pratt, I. Taylor-Kamara & George Coleridge Taylor sitting as Pratt led the debate fighting for China at the United Nations in October 1971. PHOTO CREDIT: Official UN Archives Website |
The Group of 77 sponsored the Motion for ‘The Restoration of the Legitimate U.N. Rights to Peking Communist China’, and I was the unofficial Debate spokesman for the Group of 77. The industrialised nations of Western Europe and the United States sponsored a counter-motion to retain Free Taiwan China, and their spokesman was the American Ambassador and Permanent Representative, George Bush (Snr), later to become President of the United States, and father of recent President, George Bush Jnr.“ “I requested our Sierra Leone U.N. Head of Chancery official, Mr. George Coleridge Taylor, to get me as many copies as possible of United States officially published documents, reports and books dealing with the past relationship between the U.S.A. and Peking China. During that U.N. Debate, I would quote extensively from these U.S. official sources, to the embarrassment of American U.N. Permanent Representative, George Bush (Senior)“ “The U.N. Debate soon developed almost into a feud between Ambassador George Bush and myself on U.S./Sino past relationships and policies. The U.N. Debate went on unimpeded until two o’clock the following morning.
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| George H. Bush in October 1971 at UN Hall as he was arguing very hotly for China not to enter the UN but for Taiwan to stay. America's George Bush failed because Sierra Leone brilliantly defeated him on behalf of China. PHOTO CREDIT: United Nations Official Website Archives. |
It was clear that our own side, the Group of 77, was winning the day. Then, Ambassador Bush moved that the Session be adjourned. I counter moved that the question be now put, and the voting bells were sounded.“ “The U.N. procedure allowed for only two speeches of no more than five minutes each, one for and one against a procedural Motion. Since mine was the positive Motion (‘That the question be now put’), I had the last word. Ambassador Bush, quite correctly, indicated that the representatives were obviously tired and needed some time to sleep before resuming the discussions.“ “As for myself and our Group of 77, we realised that any overnight delay might prove catastrophic to our in-built majority, as we could not be sure about the lengths to which America would go during such a brief interval to intimidate some of our members. So, during my allotted five minutes, I rather stressed the importance of the matter which had been fully debated, and the need to take a decision straight away. The voting bells were sounded and delegates rushed into the hall, some of them unaware of what was being voted on. Some industrialized nations’ supporters, like Israel for instance, might have thought that they were being asked to vote on the United States’ Motion for the adjournment, and Israel pressed the button ‘YES’, which in fact indicated that she supported my Motion, that the question be now put.
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| Photo of George H. Bush back in October 1971 conferring in dark of the early morning hours with Liu Chieh and Chow Shu-Kai from Taiwan before Pa Pratt, George Coleridge-Taylor and others in G77 successfully strategised to allow China take its rightful place. PHOTO CREDIT: Official United Nations Website Archives. |
As a result, we had the majority and my Motion was adopted.“ “President Malik of Indonesia now had no option but to put the Motion by the Group of 77 that ‘The Legitimate Rights of Peking China be Restored’, without any further debate. The voting bells were again sounded, but that did not save the day for Ambassador George Bush. Around some ten minutes to three that morning, the result of the voting was declared; we, the Group of 77, with majority members, had won, and Communist China had been admitted to her rightful place in the United Nations family of nations. Ambassador George Bush left his Seat ‘E’ (Etats Unis) in the front row of the U.N. General Assembly Hall and walked towards me in the rear row ‘S’ (Sierra Leone). He grabbed my hands, shaking them vigorously and saying: “Congratulations, Mr Minister! If ever I have a problem in the United States, be sure that I will send for you, wherever you may be, to come over as my Attorney!”“ “Beijing, China was obviously satisfied with the role Sierra Leone had played in helping to restore her rights in the U.N. and we received an official invitation to visit that great country. I was still Foreign Minister and I had many audiences with the Chinese Premier Chou En Lai.
Culled from Pages 218 – 220 of JOLLIBOY
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