IO files, lot 71 D 440

United States Delegation Plenary Position Paper1

restricted
US/A/3539

Treatment of People of Indian Origin in the Union of South Africa: Report of the Ad Hoc Political Committee (A/2257)

1. United States Position

The United States should vote in favor of the resolution recommended by the Ad Hoc Political Committee. This resolution, in its first operative paragraph, establishes a Good Offices Commission consisting of members nominated by the President of the General Assembly, the Commission’s task being to arrange and assist in negotiations between the South African Government and the Governments of India and Pakistan concerning the question of Indians in South Africa. Operative paragraph 2 of the resolution requests the Good Offices Commission to report to the General Assembly at its Eighth Regular Session. In the last operative paragraph a decision is made for including the item in the agenda of the Eighth Session. The fourth operative paragraph contains a call upon “the Government of the Union of South Africa to suspend the implementation or enforcement of the provisions of the Group Areas Act, pending the conclusion of the negotiations referred to in paragraph 1 above.”

If the resolution recommended by the Ad Hoc Political Committee is voted on paragraph by paragraph in the plenary, the United States should vote as follows: in favor of each of the paragraphs of the Preamble in the resolution; in favor of operative paragraph 1; in favor of operative paragraph 2; in favor of operative paragraph 3;2 abstain on operative paragraph 4; against operative paragraph 5.

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The United States should vote, under Rule 67, against plenary discussion of the report of the Ad Hoc Political Committee. It will not be necessary for the United-States to make any statement or explanation of vote concerning this item.

2. History in Committee

The Ad Hoc Political Committee considered the question of Indians in South Africa at five meetings, and adopted the resolution referred to above.3 This resolution was sponsored by Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, and Yemen. In the Committee the resolution was adopted by a roll call vote of 41 to 1, with 16 abstentions. It had previously been voted on paragraph by paragraph. Each of the paragraphs was adopted. The United States’ voting in the Committee was the same as that set forth in the position section of this memorandum.

3. Possible Plenary Developments

The resolution recommended by the Committee seems assured of adoption. It is probable that paragraph-by-paragraph voting will be requested, with perhaps roll call votes on certain paragraphs.4

  1. Prepared for the Seventh Session of the UN General Assembly.
  2. Operative paragraph 3 requested the UN Secretary-General to provide the Members of the Good Offices Commission with necessary staff and facilities. (UN document A/AC.61/L.5/Rev. 1)
  3. The Ad Hoc Political Committee considered this item between Nov. 3 and 11, 1952. The vote taken on Nov. 11 was 42 (U.S.) in favor of the resolution, 1 opposed, with 16 abstentions. United States Representative Sprague’s statement to the Ad Hoc Committee on Nov. 4 is printed in Department of State Bulletin, Nov. 24, 1952, pp. 833–835.
  4. On Dec. 5, 1952, the General Assembly, at its 401st plenary meeting, adopted the resolution approved by the Ad Hoc Political Committee. No vote was taken on individual paragraphs; the United States voted for the resolution as a whole. Resolution 615 (VII) recalled previous resolutions on the subject, noted that South Africa had expressed its inability to resume negotiations with the Governments of India and Pakistan, noted that South Africa had continued to enforce the Group Areas Act in contravention of previous resolutions, established a UN Good Offices Commission with a view to arranging and assisting in negotiations, requested the Commission to report to the General Assembly at the eighth session, requested the Secretary-General to provide support to the Commission, called upon South Africa to suspend implementation of the Group Areas Act, and called for inclusion of the item in the provisional agenda of the Eighth Session of the General Assembly. The text is printed in Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventh Session, Supplement, No. 20, UN document A/2361.