Editorial Note
The Working Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission conducted concurrent discussions on the Soviet draft resolution (AEC/37), General Assembly Resolution 191 (III), and the Secretariat working papers at its 45th to 49th Meetings, June 1–15. At its 49th Meeting, June 15, the Committee adopted a Chinese draft resolution (AEC/C.1/85) which noted that the Committee had examined the Soviet draft resolution and had determined that the proposals contained therein had already been rejected by the General Assembly. The Chinese resolution, after recalling that the General Assembly, in Resolution 191 (III), had found that the basis for an effective system of international control of atomic energy existed in the provisions of the previous reports of the Atomic Energy Commission, concluded as follows:
“The Working Committee observes that no material has been presented additional to that previously submitted to the General Assembly, the Commission or the Working Committee;
“The Working Committee therefore concludes that no useful purpose can be served by further discussions in the Working Committee of [Page 66] those proposals which have already been considered and rejected by the appropriate organs of the United Nations. The Working Committee reports to the Atomic Energy Commission accordingly.”
The resolution was adopted by a vote of 7 votes to 2 (Soviet Union and the Ukraine), with 2 abstentions (Norway and Egypt); for full text, see United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Fourth Session, Supplement No. 2, Report of the Security Council to the General Assembly Covering the Period from 16 July 1948 to 15 July 1949, page 69 (hereafter cited as GA(IV), Suppl. No. 2).
At its 49th Meeting, the Working Committee also adopted the following Cuban-Argentine draft resolution (AEC/C.1/86):
“Having observed the nature of the discussions that have taken place in the Working Committee and
Considering paragraph 3 of the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 4 November 1948 (AEC/33) [GA 191(III)],
The Working Committee resolves:
That further study in the Working Committee is not useful until such time as the six sponsors of the resolution of the resolution of the General Assembly have met and reported that there exists basis for agreement.”
This resolution was adopted by a vote of 8 votes to 2 (Soviet Union and the Ukraine), with one abstention (Egypt.)
On June 21, both resolutions were transmitted to the Atomic Energy Commission by the Chairman of the Working Committee, A. G. L. McNaughton of Canada.