Editorial Note
The legislative history of the Administrative Tribunal item at the Ninth Regular Session of the General Assembly is documented in detail in United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Ninth Session, Annexes, agenda item 48. The United States was successful in winning majority support for its position in the plenary meeting of the General Assembly on December 17, after experiencing a series of reverses in the Fifth Committee, December 3–9. The General Assembly in response to the urging of the United States and others accepted in principle judicial review of future judgments of the Administrative Tribunal; and appointed a special committee composed of 18 members (including the United States) to study the question of the establishment of a review procedure. This committee was to report to the General Assembly at its Tenth Session. For the official text of Resolution 888 (IX), “Awards of compensation made by the United Nations Administrative Tribunal; advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice”, see United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Ninth Session, Resolutions, pages 43 and 44. (Informative imprinted documentation is included in the minutes of meetings of the United States Delegation to the Ninth Regular Session of the General Assembly (IO files, lot 71 D 440)).
The documents that follow are illustrative of the United States diplomatic effort after December 9 in securing a reversal in the General Assembly of the earlier adverse (in the United States view) action of the Fifth Committee.