Office of the Historian

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

July 31, 1946, 10 a.m.

USD1(PC)(Journal)3

The meeting was taken up with general discussion of the draft rules of procedure suggested to the Conference by the Council of Foreign Ministers.6 The Yugoslav Delegation announced its support of those suggestions but wished to amend them by adding a provision that in cases where recommendations dealt with boundary questions, such recommendations would require the assent of the Allied state, ethnic or national portions of which were affected. The Yugoslav Delegation also suggested that Albania be invited to take part in the Conference.

The Delegations of the Netherlands and Australia emphasized the role of the smaller powers in making peace and indicated their view that the proposed rules of procedure did not take full account of that role. They referred particularly to the provision that a two-thirds majority vote of the Conference was required for recommendations to the Council of Foreign Ministers. The two-thirds vote was supported by the Soviet and Yugoslav Delegations.

The Greek Delegation put forward an amendment according to which the Conference would consider, together with the draft treaties, any cognate question which it may by simple majority have decided to place on its agenda at the request of one or more delegations.

  1. For text of C.F.M.(46)204 (2nd Revision), July 9, 1946, the Rules of Procedure suggested by the Council of Foreign Ministers, see vol. ii, p. 852. C.P. (Plen) Doc. 1, the Draft Rules of Procedure as submitted to the Conference by the Commission on Procedure on August 7, is printed in vol. iv, p. 796.↩