Office of the Historian

IO Files: US(P)/A/194

United States Delegation Position Paper

[Paris,] October 28, 1948.

Report of the Fourth Committee on Information From Non-Self-Governing Territories

resolution ii

1. United States Position

The United States should vote in favor of Resolution II which was recommended by the Special Committee on Information under Article 73(e) of the Charter and adopted by Committee 4 after Polish, Brazilian, and Soviet amendments had been defeated.

This resolution provides for the continuation of a Special Committee for 1949 with the same balanced membership and terms of reference as this year’s committee, while leaving open the question of whether there will be any Special Committee after 1949.

It may be necessary for the United States Delegation to speak in support of this resolution in view of the large amount of support in Committee 4 for a permanent committee or for its establishment for a longer period than one year.

2. History in Committee

The present text of Resolution II, together with a fourth paragraph later deleted in Committee 4 as superfluous, was adopted by the Special Committee 11–1 (USSR)–3 (Belgium, Colombia, France) as a compromise, which the United States Delegation initiated, between certain, administering members (United Kingdom, Belgium, France) who [Page 280] wanted to eliminate the Special Committee this year, and certain non-administering members (including China and India) who wished it constituted on a permanent basis. With the drafting deletion noted above, Committee 4 approved the text recommended by the Special Committee by a vote of 38–7 (Slav States and Argentina) but only after the Polish and Brazilian amendments had been defeated by rather narrow margins.

The Polish amendment, which was originally submitted jointly by Cuba and Venezuela, withdrawn by them, and then adopted by the Polish Delegation, provided for the establishment of the Special Committee on a permanent basis. This amendment was lost by a tie vote (17–17 with 18 abstentions), 9 Latin American States voting for the Polish amendment and 5 abstaining.

The Brazilian amendment constituting the Special Committee for three years was lost by 11 votes to 19 with 21 abstentions, 8 of the votes for the amendment being cast by Latin American States.

The Soviet amendment to substitute for the present paragraph 2 a text which would invite the Special Committee to examine the information transmitted on the development of self-government, data supplied by the Specialized Agencies, and information transmitted to the Secretary-General by private persons, local groups or organizations and to prepare appropriate recommendations thereon for the General Assembly was defeated by 26 votes to 8 (Slav States, Colombia, Guatemala) with 17 abstentions.

3. Possible Developments in the Plenary Meeting

It is quite possible that the Polish or some other satellite delegation may reintroduce the proposal for a permanent committee and that the USSR may reintroduce its amendment for the consideration of political information as an amendment to Resolution II. The United States should oppose such proposals.