Office of the Historian
  1. Home
  2. Historical Documents
  3. Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II
  4. Document 1424

740.00119 Potsdam/7–2445

No. 1424
Text Submitted to the Heads of Government 1

[ Babelsberg ,] July 24, 1945.

Admission to the United Nations

The three Governments consider that the time has come terminate the present anomalous position of Italy. Italy was first of the Axis Powers to break with Germany, to whose defeat she has made a material contribution, and has now joined with the Allies in the struggle against Japan. Italy has freed herself from the Fascist regime and is making good progress towards the re-establishment of a democratic government and institutions.

The three Governments have therefore resolved that it is desirable that very early steps should be taken to conclude a peace treaty with Italy and they trust that the other interested Allied Governments will share their views. They have, therefore, included the preparation of [Page 1593] the treaty as the first among the immediate important tasks to be undertaken by the new Council of Foreign Ministers. The conclusion of such a peace treaty will make it possible for the three Governments to fulfill their desire to support an application from Italy for membership of the United Nations Organization.

As regards the admission of other States, Article IV of the Charter of the United Nations2 declares that:

1.
membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving States who accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.
2.
the admission of any such State to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

The three Governments so far as they are concerned will support applications for membership from those States which have remained neutral during the war and which fulfill the qualifications set out above.

The Three Governments feel bound however to make it clear that they for their part would not favor any application for membership put forward by the present Spanish Government, which, having been founded on the support of the Axis powers, does not, in view of its origins, its nature, its record and its close association with the aggressor states, possess the qualifications necessary to justify such membership.

  1. This paper, a revision of document No. 729, has been tentatively identified as the paper on this subject attached to the Rapporteur’s report of the Seventh Meeting of the Foreign Ministers, July 24. See ante, pp. 325–326, 337. The discussion of this subject, however, at the Eighth Plenary Meeting, July 24, centered on a draft (not found) which superseded this paper and was in turn superseded by the draft of July 25 referred to in the footnotes to document No. 730. The missing draft of July 24 presumably incorporated the two suggestions by Byrnes quoted on pp. 327 and 360, ante.↩
  2. Signed at San Francisco, June 26, 1945 (Treaty Series No. 993; 59 Stat. (2) 1031).↩