Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1

IO files, lot 71 D 440

United States Delegation Plenary Position Paper¹

restricted
US/A/3559

[New York,] December 19, 1952.

Question of South West Africa: Report of the Fourth Committee

1. United States Position

The United States should vote in favor of this resolution recommended by the Fourth Committee.² The resolution would postpone consideration of the question of South West Africa until the Eighth Regular Session of the Assembly, continue the Ad Hoc Committee on South West Africa as established by Resolution 570 (VI), and request the Ad Hoc Committee to report to the Eighth Assembly.

The United States should vote under Rule 67 against plenary discussion of the Fourth Committee report. It will not be necessary for the United States to make a statement on this resolution or to explain its vote.

2. History in Committee

This resolution resulted from a suggestion made by Brazil, it was jointly sponsored in the Fourth Committee by Brazil, El Salvador, and the United States and was adopted by a vote of 27 to 8 with 5 abstentions. The Committee rejected, by a vote of 22 to 12 with 4 abstentions, an amendment by Yugoslovia providing for postponement of the question to the “second part of the Seventh Session.”

3. Possible Developments in Plenary

It is anticipated that the resolution will be adopted without difficulty.³

1. Prepared for the use of the U.S. Delegation to the Seventh Session of the UN General Assembly.
2. The Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, which dealt with trusteeship matters, adopted the draft resolution on Dec. 16, 1952. (UN document A/2336)
3. On Dec. 20, 1952, the General Assembly adopted the draft resolution without debate. For text of resolution 651 (VII), see Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventh Session, Supplement No. 20, UN document A/2361.