Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, United Nations Affairs, Volume III

IO files, A/AC.58/SR.2

Opening Statement Made to the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Factors by the United States Representative (Gerig)¹

[New York, September 4, 1952.]

Mr. Gerig (United States of America) said that important preparatory work had been done by the two committees which had already studied the subject. Consequently, all that the Ad Hoc Committee had to do was to review the work already done and, possibly, to amend the list of factors in the light of the comments made by governments. On certain points those comments would be very valuable.

His delegation was prepared to examine all the comments with a view to perfecting the list of factors, even though it was generally satisfied with the list which had been submitted to the sixth session of the General Assembly.

In any event, the final list would only serve as a guide for the States which had to supply the information provided for under Article 73e of the Charter. No single factor could be regarded as decisive in every case, except perhaps the freely expressed opinion of the populations concerned, which was the one overriding factor.

If the Committee were to consider all the territories about which information should be submitted, including those about which there was no information and those which had lost their independence, it would become apparent that they differed so much in their constitutional structure that one factor could not be of equal value in each individual case. Nevertheless, the Ad Hoc Committee would be doing useful work in perfecting the list of factors, which should serve as a general guide.

He, too, considered that it was not for the Committee to discuss what authority should finally decide which territories should be the subject of information to be supplied under Article 73e of the Charter.

On the general question of the development of Non-Self-Governing Territories towards self-government, his delegation was convinced that the need to prepare a list of factors was the logical outcome of the actual provisions of Chapter XI of the Charter, which the United States had helped to draft at San Francisco. His country was still fully prepared to carry out the obligations it had undertaken and to implement the provisions of Article 73e and of General Assembly resolution 551 (VI), regarding the supply of information on Non-Self-Governing Territories.

He suggested that the Ad Hoc Committee could submit preliminary remarks to the General Assembly, based on an analysis of the work done thus far. It might also prepare a more complete list of factors, on the understanding that the list could not apply strictly and uniformly in every case.

Regarding the agenda, he agreed with the view expressed by the Venezuelan representative at the previous meeting that the Committee should confine itself to a study of the principal factors; otherwise it might be unable to complete its work within the required time.²

1. Extracted from the Summary Record of the second meeting of the Committee, New York, Sept. 4, 1952, 2:30 p.m. Gerig, Director of the Office of Dependent Area Affairs, was assisted by three advisers in his capacity as U.S. Representative on the Ad Hoc Committee: William I. Cargo, Deputy Director of the Office of Dependent Areas; Mason Barr, Caribbean Division, Office of Territories, Department of the Interior; and Claude G. Ross, Office of Dependent Area Affairs.
2. The Committee held six meetings between Sept. 4 and Sept. 9, 1952. Records of the proceedings are in UN Docs. A/AC.58/SR.1. Sept. 15, 1952, through A/AC.58/SR.6, Sept. 22, 1952 (IO files and ODA files, lot 60 D 257, “NSGT: Factors, etc.”). The draft report of the working subcommittee of the Committee is in UN Doc. A/AC.58/L.1, Sept 8, 1952. The Committee’s Report is in UN Doc. A/2178.