National Geographic : 1951 Feb
One growing group of flags is not represented: special Air Force Ensigns. Many coun tries now use the same flag for army and air force, but with the growing importance of air power, the number of special Air Force flags is rapidly in creasing. Detailed history and interpre tation of the Flag of the United States and of the flags of the 20 Latin American Republics are omitted in the following descrip tions of United Nations flags. Society members are referred to "Flags of the Americas," in the May, 1949, NATIONAL GEO GRAPHIC MAGAZINE, for addi tional information about them.* Paintings of the flags of the 21 American Republics are in cluded, however, so that this series of Flags of the United Nations may be complete. United Nations, page 221. On October 20, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted its official flag (page 213). The field is United Nations blue. The symbol in the center was pre pared by the U. S. Office of Stra tegic Services for use at the 1945 San Francisco Conference. The emblem, slightly revised from the original, shows a map of the world, omitting Antarctica. The vertical line in the center represents the Greenwich Merid ian and the International Date Line. The map is surrounded by an olive wreath. The flag may be used by "Gov ernments, organizations, and in dividuals to demonstrate support of the United Nations and to further its principles and pur poses," but for military opera tions it may be flown only "upon express authorization by a compe tent organ of the United Nations." The Flag of the United Nations may be made in a number of standard sizes, the proportion of 2 to 3 generally being maintained. Late in 1950 UN regulations au * This issue is still in print. Copies may be obtained from the Secretary, National Geographic Society, Wash ington 6, D. C., for 50 cents each in the United States, U. S. Possessions, and countries in the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain; elsewhere, 60 cents. Z1 u. S. department or letense General of the Army MacArthur Accepts a Young but Historic UN Flag Gen. J . Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff, United States Army, presents the emblem to the Commander in Chief, United Nations Forces in Korea, atop the Dai Ichi Building in Tokyo, July 14, 1950. Trygve Lie, Secretary-General of the United Nations, sent the flag. It was flown first over Palestine during UN peace negotiations there (page 213). The original design was made for a Balkan Commission sent by UN to the Greek frontier in 1947. A few months later the General Assembly adopted the banner as the official UN flag. The flag at right is that of a five-star general. Three stars are obscured by the fold.