RSC Lot 60–D 224, Box 96: US Cr Min 24
Minutes of the Twenty-Fourth Meeting of the United States Delegation, Held at San Francisco, Monday, April 30, 1945, 6:20 p.m.
[Here follows list of names of persons (25) present at meeting.]
The Secretary called the meeting to order at 6:20 p.m. and apologized for being late, explaining that he had just talked with the President and Mr. Hull in order to bring them up-to-date on the day’s developments. He announced that he had a number of routine announcements to make.
Regular and daily meetings of the advisers are to be held at 6:15 p.m. in Room 462, Fairmont Hotel. At these meetings Dr. Bowman will usually preside. Twice a week the advisers and delegates will meet together to consider policy questions, the first of these meetings to be held Thursday, May 3, at 6:15 p.m. The Secretary explained that the Soviet Union was still holding up agreement on the slate of assignments to commissions and committees, but that it was hoped that a final decision could be reached in the Executive Committee at 10:30 a.m. the following day99 so that the serious business of the Conference could start promptly.…
Representative Bloom asked whether the assignments to the Trusteeship Committee had been determined. The Secretary announced that Mr. Dunn and Mr. Rockefeller were now working on getting an agreed slate for all the committees. Mr. Sandifer pointed out that every country would be represented on Committee 4 of Commission II, no matter what the decisions on the assignment of positions.
The Secretary announced that an exchange was now under way of amendments suggested for the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals by the sponsoring governments. This exchange, he reported, was taking place on the working level, and within 48 hours he thought there would be some reaction on the views of the other governments on our proposals.
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Developments of the Day
The Secretary announced that he would review the important developments of the day. He said that two subjects had been discussed at the meeting of the Executive Committee at 9 a.m.1 and at the meeting of the Steering Committee at 10:30 a.m.2—the question of the seating of the Soviet republics and of Argentina at the Conference. [Page 501] He noted that the question of the signing by either of the Soviet republics or Argentina of the United Nations Declaration had not been raised at any time by any one. He explained that Mr. Molotov had pled that the seating of the Polish Government be linked with the seating of Argentina and the two Soviet republics, but that we had stood our ground. He explained that what Mr. Molotov had said in the Steering and Executive Committees was practically the same as what he had said in the afternoon.
The Latin American states, he felt, had behaved extremely well in voting for the admission of the two Soviet republics to the Conference before receiving a commitment on Argentina. The admission of the two Soviet republics, he explained, had been unanimously passed in the Executive and Steering Committees. In these committees Mr. Molotov had attempted to block the seating of Argentina until the Lublin Poles were admitted, but there was great resentment at this, and when it was put to a vote, Mr. Molotov was overwhelmingly voted down. The Secretary stated that it had been the general feeling that the business was then completed on these two questions. In fact, he had received permission to announce the action of the Executive and the Steering Committees to the press. He had felt that the major hurdle had been cleared and that the Conference could now settle down to its serious business. However, Mr. Molotov had arisen in the Plenary Session and had made a long speech against the seating of Argentina.3 This was followed by several Latin American speakers who urged the admission of Argentina. The question was then up to be thoroughly thrashed out in the Plenary Session. He explained that he himself had finally pled that the matter be disposed of promptly, that the log jam was finally broken, and another vote taken which was substantially the same vote as in the Steering Committee. The motion of admission of Argentina to the Conference was approved 31 to 4.
The Secretary explained that the representatives of the two Soviet republics had already asked for visas and that he had wired that they should be granted.4
The Secretary commented that no one could tell whether the Polish settlement would come up again, but that we were taking the position that this question upon which agreement had been reached at Yalta was still in consultation and did not belong in the Conference.
[Page 502]The Secretary pointed out that Mr. Molotov had suggested from the start that he would not stay at the Conference for a long period. He suspected that, when the work of the Conference got under way, the allocation of positions established, and the views of the sponsoring governments on the proposals thoroughly discussed, Mr. Molotov might return to Moscow.
The Secretary explained that the question of the nationality of representatives of official international organizations invited to the Conference had been raised in the Executive Committee by the Soviet Government, but in view of the opposition which developed, Mr. Molotov did not ask for a vote and merely put himself on record.
The Secretary described the events which led up to Mr. Molotov withdrawing his suggestion for the invitation to the World Trade Union Conference to send representatives as official advisers to the Conference. The Secretary explained that he had taken the position that it had been previously determined that only five organizations should be invited to attend, and that, if this question was now opened up, it would raise many problems. The Secretary noted that Mr. Molotov, in the face of opposition, did not press for a vote, and it was agreed to instruct the Secretary-General to address a letter to the World Trade Union Conference stating that the Steering Committee regretted not being able to invite their representatives as advisers, but that, if they liked, any suggestions which they transmitted would be distributed to all the delegations.
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Status of Representatives of Official International Organizations
Dean Gildersleeve raised the question of the position of the I.L.O. representatives at the Conference who felt that they had in fact no status at all, not even as much as the representatives of Rotary,5 and who would like to be given a more dignified position and be invited in as advisers in commission and committee discussions. The Secretary asked Mr. Tracy for his view on this problem. Mr. Tracy noted that there was considerable disappointment among the representatives of the five official organizations6 who would like to have an opportunity to be heard before the committees and commissions. The Secretary thought that, if the rule was broken and outside organizations were permitted to be heard in the commissions and committees, the Conference would go on until next autumn.
Mr. Stinebower stated that the representatives of the five organizations had clearly understood their status prior to coming to San Francisco, that they were only unofficial representatives.…
[Page 503]Assignment of Positions on Commissions and Committees of the Conference
At the request of The Secretary, Mr. Dunn presented the Draft Statement on the Assignment of Positions on the Commissions and Committees of the Conference.7 He pointed out that the one question that was holding up a definite agreement on the assignments was whether Argentina was to have a position in any one of the commissions or committees. The Soviets were opposed to Argentina having any position on any of the commissions or committees. Mr. Stassen thought it would be well to keep them off. He sympathized with the Soviet position on this matter. The Secretary agreed that this was [not] an easy pill to swallow. Mr. Dunn said he thought it should be clear that Argentina would be the only country without a position on the commissions and committees, but that of course Argentina would be represented on each commission and committee. He noted that the Ukraine would have a chairmanship and the White Russian republic a rapporteurship.
Mr. Stassen urged that now that we had defeated Russia on the Argentinian question we should not rub the defeat in. Mr. Dunn remarked that the Soviet Delegation would never agree to a slate giving Argentina a position, and that he was sure that they would fight this matter through the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee, and the Plenary Session just the way they had fought the earlier question. Mr. Rockefeller pointed out that perhaps Mr. Molotov had not had instructions, and that, if his instructions come through, the situation might change. Mr. Dunn reaffirmed the fact that the Russians would fight the issue through the Plenary Session. The Secretary urged that in that event we back down. Mr. Rockefeller suggested that we agree to leave a vacancy on one committee and then see what happens. Mr. Dunn commented that the sponsoring governments ought perhaps to meet tonight to settle this question, so that the slate could be taken up with other countries, including France. The Secretary agreed and asked that a meeting be scheduled for 9:00 that evening.
Senator Vandenberg said he did not like the decision that was being made at all. He felt that we were letting down our only friends, the Latin Americans, and that what we had come through today was just a preview of the fight that lay ahead of us. He did not like the idea of letting down the one group of states we could count on. Mr. Stassen commented that this was precisely not the basis on which we could go forward to an effective organization and that having fought the Russians on one issue we should now make a decision on this less important [Page 504] issue that would permit the Conference to go forward. Mr. Cox suggested that a statement might now be issued by the four sponsoring powers. Mr. Stassen urged that no statement be issued, but that we now demonstrate practically that we could go forward together.
Trusteeship
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Assignment of Positions on Commissions and Committees of the Conference
Mr. Dunn presented the completed draft of assignments to commissions and committees, reading the assignments to each commission and committee (Draft Prepared for Discussion with Sponsoring Governments Monday Evening, April 30, 1945).
The Secretary questioned whether New Zealand should have the chairmanship of the committee on the trusteeship system. Mr. Hickerman explained that Mr. Fraser was all right. Mr. McCloy said he might be satisfactory on security questions, but might not be satisfactory from the angle of the welfare of the dependent peoples. Mr. White urged that, although the chairman could not write the decisions of the committee, he wielded a great influence and that on committees important to us we should see that someone was picked who would not give us trouble. Mr. Dunn thought Mr. Frazer would be a good choice.
Mr. Dunn pointed out that no one of the sponsoring governments had positions on commissions and committees, except that the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and China were each assigned a rapporteurship. The United States had of course the chairmanship of the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee, and responsibility for the administration of the Conference.
The Secretary asked that the question of leaving a chairmanship for Argentina be left in his hands, and that we not press the question of a seat for Argentina this evening. Mr. Pasvolsky thought that the Soviet Union would agree to a vacancy. Mr. White urged that we recognize the possibility that the Soviet Union might not agree. Mr. Dunn said that the Soviet Union will certainly raise the question. Mr. Rockefeller thought there might be some difficulty with his Latin American friends on the decision taken by the Delegation. Mr. Stassen thought that they would come along, and Mr. Rockefeller agreed that they probably would. Senator Vandenberg stated that he thought the decision was a “lousy” one, but that, if Mr. Rockefeller was agreeable, he would accept it. Anything, he said, that pleased Mr. Rockefeller on this question would satisfy him.
The Secretary adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m.
- Doc. 51, EX/3, May 1, UNCIO Documents, vol. 5, p. 397.↩
- See Doc. 41, EX/2, April 30, ibid., p. 375.↩
- See Doc. 43, DC/11, May 1, ibid., pp. 154–155.↩
- See Doc. 42, P/10, May 1, UNCIO Documents, vol. i, p. 343.↩
- In telegrams 15, 16, and 17, May 1, to the Acting Secretary of State, the Secretary-General (Hiss) requested that the Department inform the Governments of Argentina, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic that the Conference in plenary session on April 30 had resolved that, having decided that those Republics would be invited to be initial members of the proposed international organization, the representatives be invited to take their seats at the Conference immediately (500.CC/5–145).↩
- For a list of names of consultants, representative of Rotary International, see Charter of the United Nations: Report to the President…, p. 265.↩
- For list of organizations, see UNCIO Documents, vol. 1, p. 3.↩
- Not printed; see chart entitled “Organization, Functions & Officerships” (Doc. 67, G/20, May 5), UNCIO Documents, vol. 1, p. 79.↩