Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, National Security Affairs, Foreign Economic Policy, Volume I

501.BB/9–2649

Position Paper Prepared in the Department of State

secret

[Washington,] September 3, 1949.

SD/A/C.1/255

International Control of Atomic Energy: Report of the Permanent Members

the problem

What should be the position of the U.S. with regard to the international control of atomic energy and in particular to the report of the permanent members of the Atomic Energy Commission on the subject of the international control of atomic energy?

recommendations

1. If, as anticipated, only an interim report to the General Assembly is made by the six permanent members of the AEC, the objectives of the U.S. should be:

a. To resist any effort to stimulate a resumption of discussions in the AEC while the six permanent members continue to meet, and until they report that a basis for agreement exists;

b. To take the position that a full-scale substantive debate on the problem of atomic energy control is premature in the absence of a definitive report of the Sponsoring Powers;

c. To limit General Assembly action to the passage of a resolution noting the two UNAEC resolutions (4th report) and noting that the six-power conversations are continuing and possibly expressing its feeling that these consultations are the method of procedure currently offering the best hope for agreement;^*

d. To have the question considered at as late a point as possible on the agenda of one of the political committees, in view of the fact that the sponsors will not have made a definite report at the time of the adoption of the agenda.

2. If a definitive report should be received from the six sponsoring powers before or during the Assembly session, the United States position will be that contained in RAC D–36b [RAC D–35b], the most pertinent portion being:

[Here follow conclusions 9 and 10 of document RAC D–35b, June 20, page 70.]

background

In its resolution of November 4, 1948, the General Assembly

(a) Approved the General Findings (Part IIc) and Recommendations (Part III) of the First Report, and the Specific Proposals of Part II of the Second Report of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission as constituting “the necessary basis for establishing an effective system of international control of atomic energy to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes and for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons in accordance with the terms of reference of the Atomic Energy Commission”;

(b) Expressed concern at the impasse reached in the work of the Atomic Energy Commission; and

(c) Requested the six Sponsoring Powers to “consult in order to determine if there exists a basis for agreement on the international control of atomic energy to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes and for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons, and to report to the General Assembly the results of their consultation not later than its next regular session.”

(d) Requested the Atomic Energy Commission to survey its program of work and to proceed to the further study of such of the subjects as it considers to be “practicable and useful”.

Pursuant to this resolution, an item is included in the provisional agenda for the Fourth Regular Session entitled “International Control of Atomic Energy: Report of the Permanent Members of the Atomic Energy Commission”.

The Atomic Energy Commission, after a series of meetings, passed the two attached resolutions on July 29, 1949, to the effect that further work is merely hardening existing differences and is neither practicable nor useful until the sponsors had found a basis for agreement.

These resolutions were forwarded to the Security Council with the understanding that they will go to the General Assembly in due course. They are, in effect, the fourth report of the UNAEC.

The Sponsoring Powers first met on August 9, 1949 and have since met on the average of once a week. The lateness in starting these consultations and the progress to date indicate that the Sponsoring Powers will not be in a position to submit a definitive report prior to the convening of, or even during, the General Assembly. An interim report to the effect that the consultations are continuing, but that no conclusions can yet be reported, may be submitted. So long as the Sponsoring Powers are continuing their consultations, it is neither necessary nor desirable for the General Assembly to take any formal action on the subject of atomic energy control.

[Here follow the texts of the two resolutions adopted by the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission on July 29, AEC/42 (for partial text, see editorial note, page 102) and AEC/43 (for text, see page 99).]

1. In view of risks that this latter might entail, the United States will not put it forward unless advance liaison indicates general acceptance in which case the United States would support such a resolution if put forth by another delegation. [Footnote in the source text.]