Editorial Note
At its 450th Meeting, October 11, the Security Council undertook its examination of the two items transmitted to it by the Commission for Conventional Armaments on August 4: S/1372, the Working Paper adopted by the Commission (ante, page 106), and S/1371, the Second Progress Report of the CCA with annexed resolutions on items 1 and 2 of the CCA plan of work (for additional information on document S/1371, see footnote 1, ibid .). At the 450th Meeting, the United States introduced the following resolution (S/1398) with respect to document S/1371:
The Security Council,
Having received and examined the Second Progress Report of the Commission for Conventional Armaments, together with its annexes and accompanying resolutions (S/1371),
Takes note of this report and the state of progress it represents in the development of the Commission’s established Plan of Work,
Approves the resolutions concerning Items 1 and 2 of the Commission’s Plan of Work adopted by the Commission at its thirteenth meeting on 12 August 1948, which are attached to the report, and
Directs the Secretary-General to transmit this report, its annexes and accompanying resolutions, together with the record of the Security Council’s consideration of this subject, to the General Assembly for its information.
The vote on this resolution was 9–2 (the Soviet Union and the Ukraine). It was not adopted since a negative vote was cast by a permanent member of the Security Council. The Council then approved by 9–0 with two abstentions (the Soviet Union and the Ukraine) a United Kingdom resolution (S/1403) transmitting the Progress Report and accompanying resolutions to the General Assembly without indicating Security Council approval.
[Page 190]At the same meeting, the French Representative introduced draft resolution S/1399 providing for Council approval of the OCA Working Paper (S/1372) and transmitting it to the General Assembly. The Soviet Union also presented a draft resolution (S/1405/Rev. 1), which read as follows: “The Security Council recognizes as essential the submission by States both of information on armed forces and conventional armaments and of information on atomic weapons.” For the record of the 450th Meeting, see SC, 4th yr., No. 46.
At the 451st Meeting of the Council, October 14, the French Representative submitted a second draft resolution (S/1408/Rev. 1) which read as follows:
“The Security Council recognizes as an essential part of any effective system of disarmament the submission by States of full information on conventional armaments and armed forces together with adequate procedures for complete verification of such information.
“As regards the principle of submitting information on atomic weapons, the Council recalls that the submission of full information on atomic material and facilities, including atomic weapons, is an integral part of the United Nations plan of control and prohibition approved by the General Assembly on 4 November 1948, to insure the prohibition of atomic weapons.”
For the record of the 451st Meeting, see SC, 4th yr., No. 47. For the statement delivered by Ambassador Austin at that meeting, released as United States Mission press release 707, see Documents on Disarmament 1945–1959, volume II, page 210.
At the 452nd Meeting, October 18, French draft resolution S/1399/Rev. 1 was defeated by a vote of 9 votes in favor and 2 opposed (the Soviet Union and the Ukraine). Soviet proposal S/1405/Rev. 1 was also not adopted. Three votes were cast in favor (the Soviet Union, the Ukraine, and Egypt), one against (China) with 7 abstentions. The second French resolution, S/1408/Rev. 1, was likewise defeated, 8 votes in favor, 2 opposed (the Soviet Union and the Ukraine), with one abstention (Argentina).
France thereupon introduced a third resolution (S/1410) which was adopted by a vote of 9 in favor with 2 abstentions (the Soviet Union and the Ukraine). It read as follows:
“The Security Council, having received and examined the proposals contained in the working document on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 192(III) of 19 November 1948, adopted by the Commission for Conventional Armaments at its 19th Meeting, held on 1 August 1949,
Requests the Secretary-General to transmit these proposals and records of the discussions on this question in the Security Council and the Commission for Conventional Armaments to the General Assembly”.
For the record of the 452nd Meeting, see SC, 4th yr., No. 48.