The Under Secretary of State (Stettinius) to President Roosevelt 91
Supplementing yesterday’s wire on voting procedure,92 it may be helpful for you to have before you the exact text of the formula which is now being studied by the three governments as a possible solution.
[Page 813]You will note the size of the majority vote is left blank. The Russians want 51 percent and the British want two-thirds.
[Here follows text of compromise proposal as drafted by Formulation Group on September 13, printed on page 805.]
The result of adopting this procedure would be that consideration and recommendations with regard to pacific settlement of disputes referred to in numbered paragraph three above would be taken without the vote of the party to the dispute even if that party happens to be a permanent member of the council and that consideration and decisions as to enforcement action of any kind would require the unanimous consent of all the permanent members of the council, whether or not one of them is involved.
In view of the fact that this, if accepted, would represent a substantial concession to the Soviet point of view, we feel that we would be justified in trying to obtain their consent to the two-thirds majority vote.
Could we have your views as soon as convenient, both as regards the formula in the text and the size of majority vote?