Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, General; the United Nations, Volume I

IO Files: USGA/GEN/10²¹

United States Delegation Position Paper

[Washington, December 1945.]

12. New Members²²

the problem

The main practical question relative to the admission of new members concerns the time at which we shall support membership applications from States which in our opinion are peace-loving, and are able and willing to carry out the obligations of the United Nations Charter.²³ Enemy and ex-enemy States are not now concerned, since final treaties of peace have not yet been concluded with them. Obviously, the United States welcomes the full collaboration of all qualified States in the United Nations Organization as soon as the working schedule of the Organization permits this to be arranged. For practical reasons, however, the United States has taken the general attitude that the admission of new members should be postponed until after the Assembly session devoted to the task of organization.²⁴ The problem is whether this attitude should be relaxed so as to permit us to support the applications of any States and, if so, of which States.

proposed u.s. position

We should maintain our position that the consideration of applications for membership should be deferred until after the first part of the first session of the Assembly. Completion of this primary task in the January meeting would leave the way open for consideration, during the second part of the session or the first meeting thereafter, of applications forwarded by the Security Council with its recommendation.

discussion

The paramount factor in the decision—over and above any considerations pertaining to the admission of any particular State—is believed to be the estimated effect which consideration of membership questions at the January meetings would have upon the Assembly’s ability to complete the structure of the United Nations during those meetings. It is not unlikely that consideration, during the first part of the first session, of an application of a single State might unavoidably raise complex questions concerning possible applications of other States as well. To deal with these involved matters might take up much time which is urgently needed for completion of the essential mission of this part of the session: to establish the Organization on a working basis. A still more serious danger is that the deliberations and decisions of the Assembly on the essential structure of the Organization might be affected or determined by political maneuvering on membership questions. When the establishment of the United Nations Organization is complete, we should, so far as possible, give separate consideration to the application of each State, entirely on its own merits. Care must be taken to avoid a log-rolling process which might make difficult the rejection of applications of, for example, entities which lacked the qualities of statehood necessary to effective membership in the Organization.

A few foreign Governments have approached United States representatives with questions concerning the proper procedure and time for making application, or intimating an interest in membership. In September 1945 the Government of Iceland informed the American Minister of its desire to be admitted to the UNO at the earliest possible date, and requested that this be brought to the attention of the Secretary of State in case such questions should be discussed at the forthcoming London conference of foreign ministers.²⁵ In reply it was stated that while Iceland could count on our whole-hearted support for membership at the earliest possible moment, only the Council and Assembly could handle admissions and that a communication to the Secretary-General, when he was appointed, might elicit information as to the correct procedure for making application.

The Swedish Government has shown a very active desire for early admission to membership. It has been informed that, while consideration of applications would probably be deferred, for practical reasons, until the second part of the present session, the United States was most desirous of seeing Sweden become a member of the Organization at the first appropriate date and that it would support Sweden’s application as soon as applications were in order.

Various reports indicate a definite, though still undeclared, interest in membership on the part of Portugal. A suggestion from Lisbon to the effect that Members of the League of Nations—referring to Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland—might be admitted as a group, was not favored by the Department of State and it was said that in any case new members could not be admitted until the second part of the present session, or later. The Brazilian Government has already indicated to the United States its support for Portugal’s application.

Our position with reference to the question under discussion has thus been consistently developed both in the Preparatory Commission²⁶ and in our diplomatic relations with individual States, and at present at least, no difficulty in maintaining it is anticipated.

21. Short title for the Reference and Documents Section of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State.
22. This document was one of 29 position papers drafted in the Department’s Office of Special Political Affairs for purposes of providing a briefing and position book on as many projected issues as possible for the use of the United States Delegation to the First Part of the First Session of the General Assembly; it is found in the IO Files under the series USGA/GEN/. For documentation regarding the organization and arrangements effected for the conduct of United States relations with the United Nations, see pp. 1 ff.; within the Department of State the Office of Special Political Affairs (SPA) was principally responsible for the formulation and coordinating of policy relating to United Nations Organization matters.
23. For the United Nations Charter, signed at San Francisco, June 26, 1945, see Department of State Treaty Series No. 993, 59 Stat. (pt. 2) 1031.
24. For documentation regarding United States policy in the organization of the several United Nations organs at the first meeting of the General Assembly at London in January and February 1946 and elections relating thereto, see pp. 117 ff., London section.
25. That is, the session of the Council of Foreign Ministers that met at London in September 1945.
26. For documentation regarding the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations which met at London in November and December 1945, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. i, pp. 1433 ff.