Office of the Historian

501.BB/11–2749: Telegram

The United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin) to the Secretary of State

confidential
New York, November 27, 1949—5:11 p. m.

Delga 248. Following is text of draft resolution on Chinese item which has been agreed to by delegations of Australia and Philippines. We are hopeful that as soon as delegations of Pakistan and Mexico are reached today they likewise will agree. We are informed by Plimsoll of Australia that he has yet not heard from UK delegation on this text though he was not unhopeful that text would be agreeable to UK.

“Whereas peoples of UN have expressed in Charter of UN their determination to practice tolerance and to live together in peace with one another as good neighbors and to unite their strength to maintain international peace and security, and to that end members of UN have obligated themselves to carry out purposes and principles set forth in Charter, and,

“Whereas it is purpose of UN to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples,

“Whereas organization of UN is based on principle of sovereign equality of all its members and on respect for international agreements,

“Whereas Charter calls upon all members to refrain in their international relations from threat or use of force against territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with purposes of UN, and,

“Desiring to promote stability of international relations in Far East,

“General Assembly

“Calls upon all states:

  • “(1) To respect political independence of China and to be guided by principles of UN in their relations with China;
  • “(2) To respect right of people of China now and in future to choose freely their political institutions and to maintain government independent of foreign control;
  • “(3) To respect existing treaties relating to China;
  • “(4; To refrain from (a) seeking to acquire spheres of influence or to create foreign controlled regimes within territory of China, (b) seeking to obtain special rights or privileges within territory of China.”1

Austin
  1. On November 28 the U.S. Delegation was informed of United Kingdom and other delegation support for this text (telegram 1379, from New York, November 29, not printed, 501.A Summaries/11–2949). Upon communication to the United Nations Secretariat, the draft was inscribed in UN documentation as UN Doc. A/C.1/552; see GA (IV), First Committee, Annex, p. 37.↩