Office of the Historian

IO Files: US/A/C.5/57

United States Delegation Position Paper

secret
[New York,] December 8, 1946.

United States Contribution to the Administrative Budget of the United Nations

Recommendations:

1.
The Delegation of the United States is prepared to recommend to Congress that we accept as our contribution to the 1946 and 47 Budget and the Working Capital Fund a figure not to exceed 39.89 percent of the total, with the following distinct reservation:
a.
That under no circumstances do we consent that under normal conditions any one nation should pay more than a maximum of 33–1/3 percent in an organization of “sovereign equals.”
b.
That the difference between 33–1/3 percent and 39 percent is voluntarily assumed by us for 1947 and for the Working Capital Fund because we recognize that normal post-war economic relationships have not yet been restored and we are willing to accept this added, temporary assessment to assist the United Nations in meeting the emergency.
2.
The Delegation of the United States is unwilling to have any contributions figure set for 1948 or thereafter. It believes that since the scale reflects abnormal economic conditions, the scale should be annually reviewed to reflect whatever economic changes occur from year to year. It would also anticipate that other factors than so-called “relative capacity to pay” will be given hereafter the consideration they deserve as a matter of sound public policy in an international organization of “sovereign equals.”
3.
The Delegation of the United States will request that this statement be made a part of the record of the General Assembly.26

  1. This 3–paragraph statement was introduced into the Sub-Committee record by Senator Vandenberg on December 9 (see telegram 948, December 9, from New York, infra). It was incorporated in its entirety into the Sub-Committee’s report to the Fifth Committee (GA(I/2), Fifth Committee, pp. 318 ff., note p. 320) and into the Fifth Committee’s Report to the General Assembly (see footnote 27, p. 499 for this citation). The United States statement was preceded in the Fifth Committee’s Report by the following: “After discussion in the Sub-Committee the delegation of the United States agreed, notwithstanding their previous statements, to accept as an emergency contribution of 39.89 per cent, with the reservation that the following statement would be included in the records of the General Assembly:. …”↩