501.BB/10–2347: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State
urgent
Delga 39. Special for Gerig from Green. With reference to voting procedures re five resolutions on information transmitted under Article 73 (e) (Delga 31, para 4), UK and France favor attempting to have GA determine that Resolution 5 is one of “important questions” under Article 18 of the Charter requiring decision by two-thirds vote, but leaving other four resolutions to be determined by majority vote. Mr. Dulles and Mr. Sayre support this approach and disagree with tentative views of Dept, reported in telephone conversation yesterday afternoon, that GADel should seek to have GA determine that all five resolutions require two-thirds vote. Reasons for limiting such action to Resolution 5 are as follows:
- 1.
- Any effort to have all five resolutions declared “important questions” would quite possibly fail and permit Resolution 5, which offers greatest threat to administering Members, to be adopted by majority [Page 303] vote. Administering Members will be in much stronger position to argue for decision on Resolution 5 by two-thirds vote if they do not press for similar procedure for other four resolutions.
- 2.
- Strong case can be made for declaring Resolution 5 subject to two-thirds vote, since present amended text proposes establishment of an apparently permanent organ comparable in composition and in some functions to TC.
- 3.
- Effort to have all five resolutions subject to two-thirds vote may be contrary to long-term US interests re Charter as a whole. It would be better to favor decisions by majority vote wherever possible and to discourage efforts to give minority blocs “veto” in GA.
Dept’s views requested urgently.1 [Green.]
- The Department approved the Delegation’s suggestions in a telegram of October 27.↩