Office of the Historian

501.BB/12–2145

President Truman to The Honorable Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. 1

Washington, December 21, 1945.

My Dear Mr. Stettinius: It gives me great pleasure to appoint you as the Representative of the United States to the United Nations with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and as the Representative of the United States in the Security Council of the United Nations.2

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In carrying out the important duties of your office you will act in accordance with my instructions transmitted by the Secretary of State or in such other manner as I may direct, and in particular any and all votes which may be cast by you as the Representative of the United States in the Security Council will be in accordance with such instructions. You will also be guided by the provisions of applicable legislation, in particular the United Nations Participation Act of 1945.

The importance of the success of the United Nations organization cannot be overestimated and the responsibility which this Government bears for contributing to that success is a significant one. I am confident that you will discharge your duties in the same distinguished manner in which you have performed the functions of other high offices which you have held in our Government and that you can count upon the fullest cooperation of all officers of our Government.3

Sincerely yours,

[
Harry S. Truman
]
  1. Mr. Stettinius was a farmer Secretary of State of the United States. As Secretary he had headed the United States Delegation at the United Nations Conference on International Organization, held at San Francisco, April 25–June 26, 1945 (see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. i, pp. 1 ff.); and had been the premier United States signatory of the Charter of the United Nations, signed at San Francisco, June 26, 1945 (see 59 Stat. (pt. 2) 1031, or Department of State Treaty Series 993). Although Mr. Stettinius at this time (December) held the position of United States Representative to the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations, which body was sitting in London (see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. i, pp. 1433 ff.), he was unable to attend the meetings of the Plenary Commission because of illness; this letter was addressed to him at The White House.↩
  2. Section 2(a) of the United Nations Participation Act provided that “The President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint a representative of the United States at the seat of the United Nations who shall have the rank and status of envoy extraordinary and ambassador plenipotentiary. … Such representative shall represent the United States in the Security Council of the United Nations and shall perform such other functions in connection with the participation of the United States in the United Nations as the President may from time to time direct.” The nomination of Mr. Stettinius to these positions was communicated by President Truman to the Senate on December 19, 1945, and approved by the Senate on December 20; see Department of State Bulletin, December 23, 1945, p. 1018.↩

  3. It is of interest to note that the position of Representative of the United States at the Seat of the United Nations (short title to be used in this series: “United States Representative at the United Nations”) was all but in abeyance during the organizing period of the United Nations at London; and it was not until March, 1946 that the office was fully activated. While at London Mr. Stettinius functioned almost exclusively as Representative of the United States in the Security Council, or as Representative of the United States to the General Assembly.

    Attention is invited to the practice of this series in which the designation “United States Representative at the United Nations” is used for the principal United States officer at the Seat of the United Nations at all times regardless of the position in which he may be functioning at the time.

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