Editorial Note
A substantial portion of the documentation printed in the Foreign Relations series for 1946 concerns subjects of relevance to the national security. Documentation in the present compilation is related to the formulation of high level, general policy. It is necessary to consider this material in connection with papers on specific issues and areas found elsewhere in the Foreign Relations volumes for 1946 for examination of policy implementation and for appreciation of the role of specific circumstances in the development of general policy. The compilations noted below are most directly related to the more general documentation printed here.
For documentation on United States policy at the United Nations with respect to the regulation of armaments and collective security, see pages 712 ff. Regarding foreign policy aspects of United States development of atomic energy, see pages 1197 ff. For documentation on the Soviet Union and national security, see volume VI, pages 673–817 passim. Regarding discussions relating to joint United States-Canadian defense measures, see volume V, pages 53 ff. To locate documentation on United States policy with respect to military assistance to individual nations or areas, see the indexes of volumes V, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI.
For documentation on United States policy regarding questions relating to the establishment of an international trusteeship system under the United Nations Charter, including President Truman’s declaration of November 6 proposing a strategic area trusteeship with the United States as administering authority for the Pacific islands under mandate to Japan, see pages 544 ff. To locate documentation on United States policy with respect to the acquisition of bases and military air transit rights in various areas of the world, see the indexes of volumes V, VII, VIII, and XI.