Office of the Historian

Conference files, lot 60 D 627, CF 341

Working Paper Prepared for the United States-United Kingdom Joint Study Group by the Legal Adviser of the Department of State (Phleger)1

top secret
JSG Memo 2
[Washington,] July 7, 1954.

Working Paper on Collective Security Pact

[Here follows numbered paragraph 1, a résumé of the Agreed Minute of June 27, page 580.]

2. Preliminary to drafting the Pact, the following facts should be determined:

a. United Nations

Appropriate provisions affirming faith in Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations and providing for compliance with applicable provisions;

b. Area to be covered

Southeast and/or South Asia, according to the parties joining the Pact;

geographical description

c. Parties

[Page 610]

Initial parties should be named;

additional parties to be admitted by unanimous consent;

d. States to be defended in addition to the parties

Laos, Cambodia, part of Vietnam to be defended if they are not parties to the Pact; other states to be defended although not initially members of the Pact;

e. Obligations of parties

Armed attack in the Area on the parties, or on States covered in addition to the parties, to be recognized as dangerous to the peace and safety of each of the parties, committing them to take such action, in accordance with their constitutional processes as is deemed necessary, including the use of armed force; and

to consult and cooperate to assist the lawful governments defended by the Pact to resist Communist infiltration and subversion.

f. Organization

A Council, consisting of a representative of each of the parties, shall be formed to implement the Pact and to concert action thereunder. It shall meet at any time on request of a party, and shall set up all necessary subsidiary bodies;

g. Duration

Indefinite duration subject to withdrawal by a party on one year’s notice.

  1. This document is at tab 11 of the group of papers titled “Documentary History of US–UK Joint Study Group”. It is attached to a covering note in which Draper states that it was “tabled as an informal and unofficial working paper in the first meeting of the joint Study Group July 7.”↩