Office of the Historian

Hiss Collection

United States Delegation Memorandum1
Leningrad, February 6, 1945, 4 p.m.

Voting Procedure

Supplementary Arguments for Use of Secretary

1. Doubt as to acceptability of Organization unless our proposal is adopted. Our main concern is being able to establish the Organization.

American public opinion and the smaller nations, especially the Latin American nations, and—we believe—the British Dominions, may not accept an Organization which they believe fails to accord them a just and reasonable position.

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2. Importance of the Organization starting off with good will of all members and of world public opinion.

In the Teheran Declaration, the three powers stated:

“We recognize fully the supreme responsibility resting upon us and all the nations to make a peace which will command good will from the overwhelming masses of the peoples of the world. . . .”

Without this good will on the part of all members of the Organization—even if it could be established—its future would2 be uncertain.

To insure this good will so necessary to the effective operation of the Organization, we must avoid the charge3 of great power domination.

3. Unity of the great powers is one of our major aims and is promoted rather than impaired by our proposal.

If there should unfortunately be any differences between the great powers, the fact would become fully known to the world, whatever voting procedure is adopted.

Discussion of differences cannot be prevented in the Assembly in any event.4

To permit full and free discussion in the Council will in no sense promote disunity, but will, on the contrary, demonstrate the confidence the great powers have in each other and in the justice of their own policies.

[Yalta,] February 6, 1945.

  1. Carbon copy; authorship not indicated. Certain of the arguments set forth in this paper are reflected in Stettinius’ statement in the Plenary Meeting on February 6. (Cf. ante, pp. 661–662, and post, p. 994.)↩
  2. The words “we feel” are inserted here in Hiss’ penciled handwriting.↩
  3. The words “the charge” are stricken out and the words “even giving the impression” are inserted here in Hiss’ penciled handwriting.↩
  4. The words “in any event” are transposed in pencil from the end to the beginning of this sentence.↩