IO Files: US/A/M (Chr)/18
Minutes of the Eighteenth Meeting of the United States Delegation, New York, Hotel Pennsylvania, November 12, 1946, 9 a. m.
[Here follow list of names of persons (34) present, and discussion of other subjects.]
Veto Problem
Senator Connally said that the Secretary favored the delegation statement on the veto position.12 He pointed out that the United States was opposed to undermining the Charter and favored unanimity in relation to Chapter VII, but advocated that the Security Council should consider formulating more rules and procedures. The procedural matter should be designated but there should not be a list because that would cause endless debate over every item. He thought that this position was about as far as the United States could go now. It should be recommended that the Security Council get to work on its rules of procedure to say which should be procedural matters, and to prevent the veto from applying to Chapter VI.
Mr. Dulles noted that Senator Austin had said that we would present a program on the veto at a proper time. Senator Austin agreed and said that there would be a concrete formula drawn before the next meeting of the Delegation.
In answer to Mr. Fahy’s question, Senator Connally said that the Secretary thought that the question of whether an abstention was a veto should be left to the Security Council, otherwise there would be a great debate raised. The question had been examined but it was not proposed to put forward anything on this now.
[Here follows discussion of other subjects.]
- Presumably the position paper dated November 12, printed infra.↩