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

501.BB/1–2546: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Stettinius)

confidential
urgent

Washington, February 14, 1946—6 p.m.

1526. Undel 212. 1. State-War-Navy Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Security Functions of the UN⁷³ has considered JCS paper (1567/28) on armed forces to be made available to SC and has recommended SWNCC approval subject to minor amendments, including a new text of a proposed standard agreement. SWNCC will consider this at an early date.⁷⁴ It is understood US members MSC already have JCS 1567/28.

2. Subcommittee also considered relation between discussion of armed forces in MSC and discussion of same subject in SC, with specific reference to Item 10 of SC agenda⁷⁵ (reported deferred in Delun 148).⁷⁶ State Dept members presented political desirability of having MSC consider question of armed forces in pursuance to directive from SC. Service members pointed out that SC would need advice of MSC in preparing such directive and that informal discussion on military level may have already occurred.

3. Dept does not know what were intentions of SC in deferring Item 10 (Delun 148). Possibly SC intended to return to Item 10 after arrival of remaining members of MSC and after organization of latter committee had been completed. If this is the case, it is of interest that the Ad Hoc Subcommittee agreed that a satisfactory procedure would be for the SC, in returning to Item 10 to request the MSC to prepare recommendations as to the best means of arriving at the conclusion of the special agreements referred to in Article 43 of the Charter. At the same time, it was recognized that you and the US members of the MSC might wish to work this out by consultation in the light of the existing situation.⁷⁷

Byrnes

73. The State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee (SWNCC) was the principal interdepartmental body concerned with the coordination of foreign and military policies in 1946. For a description of the organization and functions of SWNCC, see footnote 3, p. 1112. SWNCC made provision for planning with respect to United Nations political-military matters in 1945 by establishing the Ad Hoc Committee to Effect Collaboration Between the State, War, and Navy Departments on Security Functions of the United Nations Organization (subsequently known as the Ad Hoc Committee on Security Functions of the United Nations). Such a body had been suggested by Joseph E. Johnson, Chief of the Division of International Security Affairs, in a memorandum to John D. Hickerson, the Department of State Member and Acting Chairman of SWNCC, on July 20, 1945. The Ad Hoc Committee, which became the principal formal machinery for formulating and recommending unified United States policy on UN security matters, first met on August 18, 1945, and subsequently concerned itself with matters before the United Nations Preparatory Commission and the Executive Committee at London. The Department of State was represented on the Ad Hoc Committee by personnel from the Office of Special Political Affairs; Alger Hiss, Director of SPA was the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee in 1946. The Military Establishment was represented by members of the Joint Strategic Survey Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; regarding the functions of that body, see footnote 68, p. 738.

    The Joint Chiefs of Staff took into account recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee and its parent body in instructing their deputies, the United States Representatives on the Military Staff Committee, regarding UN forces and other matters. (SWNCC Files)

74. The State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee approved the recommendation of the JCS paper on February 27 as SWNCC 219/8; with respect to that document, see USMS/12/Rev. 1 (the text of the principles later extracted from it) and Blaisdell’s memorandum of April 1, pp. 759 and 769, respectively.
75. Item 10 on the Security Council agenda read as follows: “Item 10. Discussion of the Best Means of Arriving at the Conclusion of the Special Agreements Referred to in Article 43 of the Charter.”
76. Not printed.
77. At its 23rd Meeting, February 16, the Security Council decided that the Military Staff Committee need not meet gain at London. For the text of the resolution adopted at the same meeting concerning the future work of the MSC, see Blaisdell’s memorandum of April 1, p. 769.