Office of the Historian

501.BB Summaries/11–2746: Telegram

Senator Austin to the Acting Secretary of State

New York, November 27, 1946—8:10 p.m.

[via Courier]

Daily Plain Summary

865. Committee I (29th Meeting)35

With eight roll-call votes in a five-and-a-half hour meeting November 27, the Committee adopted the U.K. amendments to the U.S.S.R. troop proposal, providing for a report to the SC by all UN members of troops and military type organizations on foreign territories and uniformed personnel at home. The U.S. amendment was adopted 25–19, calling for the report of January 1 of the situation as of December 15, and eliminating the need for verification.36

[Page 1068]

The Committee decided 24–18 not to consider a U.S.S.R. amendment to the U.K. text which would have required a report at the same time on armaments on home territories.37 By the same vote, the Committee refused to consider this as a separate U.S.S.R. amendment. A Soviet amendment which would have delayed the report on home troops until SC consideration of disarmament was rejected 31–10. An amendment introduced by Fawzi (Egypt) calling for a GA recommendation of withdrawal of troops where they are stationed on foreign territory without conformity to the letter and spirit of the Charter38 was warmly supported by Molotov. When Noel-Baker (U.K.) and Senator Connally asked for more time to consider the amendment, the Committee decided 29–13 to defer consideration. Chairman Manuilsky (Ukraine) announced the Egyptian amendment would be considered at 10:30 a.m. November 28, as well as the U.K.-U.S.S.R. resolution as a whole and the Argentine resolution.39

[Here follow a more detailed description of the meeting and accounts of the November 27 proceedings of other United Nations bodies.]

  1. For the Record of this Meeting, see GA (I/2), First Committee, pp. 158–177.↩
  2. The original Soviet proposal is printed in telegram 831, November 21, from New York, p. 1030. The resolution as amended by the United Kingdom is printed in US/A/C.1/72(Rev.a), November 25, p. 1050. For text submitted in the Report of the First Committee on the Presence of Armed Forces of Members of the United Nations on Non-enemy Territories, see GA (I/2), Plenary, pp. 1504–1505 (Annex 49). That text consisted of the resolution adopted here, differing slightly as to wording and couched in the form of a General Assembly draft resolution. With respect to the action of the General Assembly on the resolution, see telegram 962, December 13, from New York, p. 1099.↩
  3. For text, see footnote 33, p. 1061.↩
  4. For text, see GA (I/2), First Committee, p. 160. Hiss stated the following in a memorandum to Mr. Acheson, November 27, in regard to a telephone conversation with Ross concerning the Egyptian amendment: “Mr. Ross and I were in complete agreement that for obvious reasons the Delegation will oppose the amendment in its present form. It obviously makes no sense in its present form as the Charter simply does not cover the question and any such action by the Assembly would only lead to complete confusion and recrimination.” (501.BB/11–2746)↩
  5. For text of the Argentine resolution, see GA (I/2), First Committee, p. 333 (Annex 8b).↩