500.A/7–1647
Draft Proposal Prepared in the Office of the Deputy United States Representative on the United Nations Commission for Conventional Armaments (Bard)1
[RAC D–9/1a]
Draft Proposal for Armaments Regulation Program
It is recognized that until general conditions for international security have been established, no actual program for the regulation [Page 563] and reduction of armaments can be implemented. These pre-requisites include the completion of the peace treaties, the establishment of an effective international security force, in conformity with Article 43 of the Charter, and an international agreement providing effective control of atomic energy. Further, implementation of any program of regulation and reduction must be accompanied by an effective system of international safeguards, which will make it impossible for any nation to violate with impunity the terms of an international agreement for arms regulation and reduction.
During the interim period prior to the establishment of these general conditions of security, it will be possible to institute a preliminary program which will in itself assist in establishing conditions of international control and confidence. Such an interim program would recognize that until conditions of international security and confidence are established, each nation must reserve to itself the right to determine the size of its military establishment. The program would call for submission of annual reports to an international agency, which would give information of a general character on the strength of its military establishment. These reports will then be subject to verification by an international inspection agency operating within the national territories of the members of the United Nations. The objective of this interim program will be two-fold:
- (a)
- It will recognize that since the end of hostilities all nations have voluntarily reduced their military strength to a point where they are no longer capable of undertaking a general aggressive war. The interim program will, therefore, be directed primarily toward the possibility of any nation undertaking a re-armament program of a general character.
- (b)
- The interim program is designed to make use of the only effective international force in existence today, that of world public opinion. The publication of the annual reports and the publication of the verification reports will immediately bring to light any military program which may in the future threaten the peace of the world.
i. annual report on military strength
Within—months after the entering into effect of an international agreement, each member of the United Nations shall submit to the United Nations a report on the strength of its military establishment. Subsequent reports shall be submitted annually. The form of this report is given in Annex l.2
In general, this report will provide data on the overall strength both in manpower and matériel, and will further show the turn-over in manpower and matériel during the previous year. This will provide a valuable indication of the rate in which reserves are trained [Page 564] and then returned to inactive status, and the rate at which new matériel is produced. Both active and reserve manpower and matériel will be broken down into the following three categories:
- 1.
- Required for occupation duties and for United Nations commitments.
- 2.
- Required for internal security.
- 3.
- Required for national defense.
ii. conventional arms regulatory commission
There shall be established immediately upon the entering into effect of the international agreement a Conventional Arms Regulatory Commission. This Commission shall be within the framework of the Security Council, but shall derive its powers and status from the convention under which it is established. The duties of this Commission will include both the collection and publication of reports submitted by member states and the verification of these reports by means of international inspection bodies. The organization, rights, and duties of this Commission shall be as follows:
- 1.
- The Commission shall represent all members of the United Nations.
- 2.
- Its membership shall include the five permanent members of the Security Council and six temporary members who shall be drawn from those other members of the U.N. who are not simultaneously serving as temporary members of the Security Council. The term of the non-permanent members shall be two years.
- 3.
- There shall be routine inspections which shall be automatic, and such other inspections as the agency may decide upon. The inspectorate will include nationals of member states other than the nation being inspected.
- 4.
- Subject to limitations specifically provided in the convention, the Commission shall itself determine the extent of inspection necessary for the verification of the national reports.
- 5.
- The size and composition of the inspectorate for any nation shall be determined by the international supervisory agency.
- 6.
- Individual members of the inspectorate shall be rotated periodically by nationality and geographic location.
- 7.
- There shall be no requirement of unanimity within the agency with respect to its decisions within its defined functions.
- 8.
- Each participating state shall afford duly accredited representatives of the agency unimpeded rights of ingress to and egress from, and movement within its territories; shall aid and assist them in the performance of their duties, and shall provide access to the activities subject to inspection, unhindered by national or local authorities or private individuals.
- 9.
- The Commission shall not be required to verify the absolute accuracy of each item of each report submitted. It shall rather provide a general verification which in its opinion is reasonably accurate. It shall at all times keep in mind that the general purpose of such verification is immediately to bring to light the initiation of any military program which may at some future time threaten international peace.
- 10.
- The Commission shall render both periodic reports and such special reports as it sees fit to the Security Council. Unless the Commission decides to the contrary, these reports shall be made public. The reports shall include the reports submitted by member nations, together with reports on the verification performed by the Commission. The Commission shall also include in such reports a full statement covering any situation in which verification has been hindered or rendered impossible by the action of any government, group or individual, or by any other circumstance.
- 11.
- Initiation of negotiations of regulation and reduction of armaments. The Commission shall be empowered to determine when conditions of international security have been established to a sufficient degree to make possible the initiation of a program of progressive reduction of armaments and armed forces. Upon the satisfactory conclusion of such negotiations, the Commission shall report to the Security Council its recommendations, and the program shall be implemented in accordance with the resolution of the General Assembly of 14 December 1946.
In this connection, the interim reports and the verification system shall be modified as may be necessary to provide clear and unambiguous signals in the event of violation of the agreement by any nation.