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

IO files, lot 71 D 440

Department of State Position Paper¹

confidential
SD/A/C.1/439

Washington, September 7, 1954.

Race Conflict in South Africa Resulting From Policies of Apartheid

The Problem

Thirteen Arab-Asian states submitted for inclusion in the agenda of the Seventh Session in 1952 the question of race conflict in South Africa resulting from the apartheid policy of the Government of the Union of South Africa. The Assembly established a Commission to study the question and the Commission reported to the Eighth Session.

The Eighth Assembly debated the competence issue almost exclusively and rejected South African proposals that would have denied the jurisdiction of the General Assembly on the basis of Article 2(7) to deal with this case in any way. A resolution was adopted noting the Commission’s conclusions and providing for it to continue its study. The Commission was also requested to “suggest measures which would help to alleviate the situation and promote a peaceful settlement”. The Assembly decided to include this item on the provisional agenda of the Ninth Session. The United States abstained in the vote on this resolution.

The report of the Commission is not yet available.

United States Position

1. The United States should vote for inclusion of this item in the agenda and make a statement in the General Committee following the same line we took last year. (For explanation, see comment below.)

2. While making plain its opposition to racial discrimination, the United States should take the position that the Assembly has discussed the apartheid problem, and that the establishment and continuation of the Commission in its present form raises questions whether such Assembly action does not exceed the limits set by Article 2(7). Moreover, we remain unable to see any useful role for the Commission and therefore believe that it should be terminated. Subject to the Department’s instructions on specific proposals, the Delegation should be guided in voting by these considerations. In particular, it should oppose action continuing the Commission, or endorsing any recommendations that the Commission might make calling for further United Nations action directed specifically at South Africa.

3. The United States may support either a general resolution along the lines of that adopted in 1952, which proclaimed general standards of conduct in the field of human rights, with particular emphasis on race relations, or a resolution providing means within the United Nations for voluntary exchange of experience on racial questions between countries having such problems and any assistance of a technical character any Member may request. In both cases there should be no direct reference to South Africa.

Comment

This item is already included in the provisional agenda as the result of action by the Eighth General Assembly. It was placed in the agenda last year by an overwhelming vote of 46 (United States) to 7 with 7 abstentions; consequently, it would be unrealistic to assume that our opposition to inclusion would result in dropping the item from the agenda. Furthermore, the Eighth Assembly requested the Commission to report to the Ninth Session, and the Assembly has never asked for a report and then refused to consider it by reversing a prior decision to retain the item on its agenda. At the same time our position in the General Committee should lay the groundwork for a firm position in the Assembly looking toward action that will shift from an approach directed exclusively at South Africa to one more likely to obtain more constructive results.

The report of the Commission will undoubtedly indicate failure to make any progress in dealing with the problem. Early in March the Commission addressed a request to all members to inform the Commission of any valuable experience they might have had in the matter of the elimination of inter-racial tension and the gradual removal of discriminatory practices. The United States informed the Commission that it had transmitted to the United Nations for publication in the “United Nations Year Book on Human Eights” annual reports on developments in this country which include material relating to racial discrimination.

Discussion of the report should be utilized to demonstrate that this Commission cannot play a useful role in this case and to underscore our belief that the experience of the past two years with the Commission conclusively demonstrates the undesirability of its continuation.

In these circumstances, subject to the Delegation’s assessment of the negotiating situation, we should consider taking the initiative in urging that the Assembly abandon the present approach.

1. This paper was prepared for the use of the U.S. Delegation to the Ninth Session of the UN General Assembly.