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

501.BC/3–2046

Memorandum Prepared in the Division of International Security Affairs⁹²

[Washington,] March 19, 1946.

Preliminary Views of the U.S. Security Council Group⁹³ (Political) on the Next Steps in the Preparation and Negotiation of the Agreements Referred to in Article 43

1. On February 16, 1946, the Security Council directed the Military Staff Committee substantially as follows: (a) to meet at the temporary headquarters simultaneously with the Security Council, and (b) as its first task, to examine from the military point of view the provisions in Article 43 of the Charter and submit the results of the study and any recommendations to the Security Council in due course. The Military Staff Committee now plans to meet in New York on March 25.

2. It is understood informally that the U.S. Representatives on the Military Staff Committee plan to propose to the Committee at its first meeting that, in order to proceed to comply with the above directive, the Military Staff Committee deal with problems arising in connection with the special agreements of Article 43 in the following four phases:

(a) Formulation of general principles applicable to the special agreements;

(b) Estimation of the total pool of forces which the Security Council might require;

(c) Contributions which the permanent members of the Security Council might make by way of armed forces, assistance and facilities; and

(d) Similar contributions which other Members of the United Nations might make.

3. It is also understood that the U.S. Representatives will, if the above phasing is acceptable to the Military Staff Committee, recommend that a sub-committee be appointed immediately to consider general principles. The U.S. member of this sub-committee would then introduce a paper setting forth broad principles which he will propose be adopted. This paper has already been prepared and consists of broad principles extracted from SWNCC 219/8.

4. At an informal meeting of the staff of the U.S. Representative on the Security Council, held on March 15, it was concluded that the next steps toward preparing and negotiating the agreements referred to in Article 43 should be:

(a) The U.S. Representatives on the Military Staff Committee should propose to the Committee that it proceed along the lines indicated in par. 2, above.

(b) If the Military Staff Committee agrees and appoints a subcommittee to consider general principles, the U.S. member of the subcommittee should introduce U.S. views to the general principles involved, basing such views on SWNCC 219/8.

(c) As soon as the Military Staff Committee has arrived at a formulation of general principles, these should be forwarded to the Security Council for approval, prior to the consideration by the Military Staff Committee of the application of these principles to the quota forces.

(d) If the above procedure is halted by disagreement in the Military Staff Committee, the U.S. Security Council Group (political and military) should meet at once to determine the next step.

(e) Close liaison between the political and military members of the U.S. Council Group will be required at all times.

92. The present document accompanied a memorandum of March 20 from Dean Rusk of the Division of International Security Affairs to Alger Hiss, Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs.

    The Division of International Security Affairs (IS) of the Office of Special Political Affairs was the area within the Department of State directly concerned with the subject of United Nations security matters. Primary responsibility for the formulation of Department of State positions on this subject in the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee and its Ad Hoc Committee on Security Functions of the United Nations, and for drafting instructions for the United States Delegation at the United Nations on the matter rested with IS.

93. The United States Security Council Group consisted of Department of State and military officials concerned with the question of placing armed forces at the disposal of the Security Council. Department of State representation included political officers from IS, SPA, and other areas. Military membership included the United States Representatives on the Military Staff Committee. The Security Council Group met in London and Washington prior to the establishment of the United States Permanent Delegation office at the United Nations in New York on March 19. It does not appear that the body as such met thereafter. However, the office of the United States Representative on the Security Council (the Permanent Delegation) maintained close contact with the United States Representatives on the Military Staff Committee and provided them with guidance on the political aspects of their work.