Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

611.001/9–1250: Telegram

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

secret   priority

New York, September 12, 1950—3:29 p. m.

507. USUN 504.¹ Following is revised draft resolution on united action against aggression embodying ideas agreed upon ad referendum by US and Canadian representatives. UK representative agreed that this should be done although their instructions not yet arrived.

“Recognizing that the first purpose of the UN is ‘to maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace’;

Recalling its Resolution 290 (IV) entitled ‘Essentials of Peace’, and in particular the second and third paragraphs of that resolution in which the GA called upon all nations ‘to refrain from threatening or using force contrary to the Charter’ and ‘to refrain from any threats or acts, direct or indirect, aimed at impairing the freedom, independence or integrity of any state, or at … subverting the will of the people in any state’;

Recognizing that in order to ensure prompt and effective action by the UN, its member states, in the Charter, conferred on the SC primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agreed that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the SC acts on their behalf;

Aware that experience has demonstrated that there is danger that the SC may be unable to exercise in respect of a dispute or situation this primary responsibility assigned to it in the Charter;

Conscious that failure of the SC to discharge this primary responsibility on behalf of all the member states does not relieve member states from their obligations under the Charter to maintain international peace and security;

Desiring that in such circumstances the GA may be able to consider the question immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective action, including when necessary the use of armed force, to restore international peace and security;

The GA

1. Resolves that if the SC, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in case of a breach of the peace or an act of aggression, the GA shall consider the matter immediately and, if not in session at the time, shall meet in special emergency session which shall be called by the SYG and convened within 24 hours of the receipt of a request from

(a) Any seven members of the SC;

(b) Any member of the UN, concurred in by a majority of the members expressed through the IC or otherwise;

2. Adopts for this purpose the revisions in its rules of procedure set forth in the annex to this resolution.

The GA

3. Establishes a GA Peace Patrol Commission composed of representatives of (9–14 members) which the GA may despatch for the purpose of ensuring immediate and independent observation in and reporting from any area in which international tension develops the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security;

4. Authorizes and requests the IC of the GA to dispatch the commission or a sub-commission thereof or observers to be selected by the commission to any area where in the view of the IC such tension exists, upon the invitation or with the consent of the state into whose territory the commission would go.

In the performance of its duties under the present resolution, the IC shall act in accordance with its terms of reference as set forth in Resolution 295 (IV);

5. Recommends to all governments and authorities that they cooperate with the commission and assist it in the performance of its functions;

6. Requests the SYG to provide the necessary staff and facilities utilizing where directed by the commission the UN panel of field observers envisaged in Resolution 297 (IV) B.

The GA

7. Invites each member of the UN to survey its resources in order to determine the nature and scope of the assistance it may be in a position to render in accordance with any UN action for the restoration of international peace and security;

8. Recommends to the members of the UN that, pending the creation of the armed forces provided for under Article 43 of the Charter, each member designate within its national armed forces a UN unit or units, to be so trained and equipped that they could be made available for prompt service on behalf of the UN upon determination by the SC or recommendation by the GA;

9. Requests the SYG of the UN to appoint, with the approval of the ad hoc committee provided for in paragraph 10 a UN military adviser to consult with the member states who wish to establish such units to assist them in the organization, training and equipping of such units;

10. Establishes an ad hoc political committee consisting of representatives of ——— and directs that committee in consultation with the SYG and with the UN Military Adviser to study and report to the GA on means which the UN might employ through collective action, including the use of armed force, in order to carry out the purposes and principles of the Charter, and in particular, to study and report on:

(a) Measures not involving the use of armed force which might be taken by member states collectively;

(b) Methods for the collective use of UN units established or to be established by member states; and

(c) Methods for the early establishment of a UN police division of volunteers recruited individually by the UN.

11. Authorizes payment of the Military Adviser’s salary and expenses from the regular budget of the UN; and

12. Requests the SYG to furnish the Military Adviser and to the ad hoc committee the staff and assistance necessary for the effective accomplishment of their respective tasks.”²

Austin

1. Not printed.
2. In the working papers of the U.S. Delegation to the General Assembly, this draft was set up as delegation document US/A/C.1/1890, September 12. In the event, this was the first of eight drafts that were prepared by the Delegation, until an agreed joint draft with several other delegations was formulated on October 7. Others that followed were US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 1, September 23; US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 2, September 25; US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 3, September 28; US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 4, October 4; US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 5, October 5; US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 6, October 6; and US/A/C.1/1890/Rev. 7, October 7. Of these the second listed is printed below in toto. The last is printed as U.N. Doc. A/C.1/576; for citation, see editorial note, p. 359.