Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: The United Nations, Volume I

500.CC/3–1545

Memorandum Prepared in the Department of State⁷³

Tentative Suggestions With Respect to Arrangements for the San Francisco Conference

Following the return of the Secretary of State from the Conference at Mexico City tentative proposals concerning the organization of the Conference at San Francisco have been formulated by the Department for the consideration of the other, sponsoring Governments. We shall hope to communicate additional and more detailed proposals shortly.

1. Procedure of Conference meetings

We anticipate that the normal conference proceedings will be followed, with plenary sessions and meetings of principal commissions, committees and subcommittees.

We consider that it would be desirable to have four principal commissions which would, respectively, cover the following major topics: (a) general structure and powers of the United Nations organization including international trusteeship matters, (b) maintenance of peace and security, (c) economic and social cooperation, and (d) judicial organization.

We anticipate that the initial meetings of the Conference would be held in plenary session and that after the organizing of the Conference has been completed the Conference would resolve itself into meetings of the commissions. The commissions in turn, after agreeing upon their own agenda and such general discussions as they might desire, would resolve themselves into committees and subcommittees. We would anticipate that most of the discussion and drafting would take place in these committees and subcommittees. Coordination and joint periodic review by the heads of delegation would be achieved by the steering committee and the executive committee referred to in the next paragraph.

2. Officers of the Conference, Steering Committee and Executive Committee

We think it might be desirable if the Conference were to have a president and three vice-presidents, these positions to be held by representatives of the four sponsoring powers. The presidents of the four commissions mentioned above might appropriately be selected from among representatives of other major nations. Representation for still other participating nations would seem to be desirable as chairmen of committees and subcommittees of the commissions and as rapporteurs.

We suggest that there be a steering committee, composed of chairmen of all delegations, to make determinations of policy and to decide matters of special importance relating to conference arrangements and that there might be an executive committee of perhaps eleven members composed of the president and vice-presidents of the conference together with the presidents of the four commissions and three other chairmen of delegation. The executive committee would be responsible for preparing recommendations to the steering committee and would be assisted by a coordination and drafting committee composed of a deputy for each member of the executive committee.

3. Information policy

We have indicated publicly in answer to inquiries from the press our confidence that the Conference will follow a liberal information policy⁷⁴ and, having in mind the successful information policy followed at other Conferences, we have said that it is our view that plenary sessions and sessions of the full commissions should be open to representatives of the press and to such members of the public as space may permit.

We anticipate that the Conference will have a chief press officer who might have associated with him press officers representing members of the executive committee.

We consider it desirable that the President of the Conference, assisted by the Vice-Presidents and possibly chairmen of commissions, hold regularly-scheduled daily brief meetings with the press.

4. Secretariat

We consider that the Secretariat should include representatives of various of the participating nations. We have been thinking in terms of management, administrative and clerical personnel being furnished by this Government, the principal secretaries of the commissions and their committees and subcommittees to be named by other participating Governments.

Washington , March 16, 1945.

73. Enclosure to a letter of March 15, handed to the British and Soviet Ambassadors on March 16, not printed.
74. For a press statement by the Secretary of State on March 15 on the proposed procedure regarding press, radio, and motion pictures, see Department of State Bulletin, March 18, 1945, p. 435.