20. Telegram From the Mission at the United Nations to the Department of State1
Delga 220. Re Charter review. Following draft resolution tabled today by Canada, Ecuador, Iraq, Thailand, United States, and United Kingdom:
Begin text. Mindful that Article 109, Paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations provides that if a general conference of the members of the United Nations for the purpose of reviewing the Charter has not been held before the 10th annual session of the General Assembly, such a conference shall be held if so decided by a majority vote of the members of the General Assembly and by a vote of any seven members of the Security Council;
Believing that it is desirable to review the Charter in the light of experience gained in its operation;
Recognizing that such a review should be conducted under auspicious international circumstances;
Decides that a general conference to review the Charter shall be held at an appropriate time;
Further decides to appoint a committee consisting of Australia, Burma, Chile, China, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, France, India, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Turkey, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, and United States, to consider, in consultation with the Secretary General, the question of fixing a time and place for the conference, and its organization and procedures;
Requests the Committee to report to the General Assembly with its recommendations at its twelfth session; Requests the Secretary General to complete the publication program undertaken pursuant to Resolution 796(VIII) and to continue, prior to the twelfth regular session of the General Assembly, to prepare and circulate supplements, as appropriate, to the United Nations organs. End text.
Prior to tabling resolution, we informed Lall (India) that only suggestion made by Menon (Delga 203)2 which we could accept would be striking out word “the” before “experience” in second preambular paragraph. We stressed resolution has good chance of getting very broad support and expressed hope India would be able to vote in favor.
At co-sponsors meeting today Crosthwaite (UK) reported that Scandinavians somewhat cool to resolution and may have to abstain. Khalidy (Iraq) said he had not sounded out many of his colleagues but expressed view it had good chance getting Arabs support.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 310.1/11–455. Limited Official Use.↩
- Delga 203 reported a conversation among V.K. Krishna Menon, Sir Pierson Dixon and Wadsworth “to receive Menon’s comments on our Charter review resolution.” After indicating that he would seek instructions from New Delhi as to the Indian position on the resolution, Menon made three suggestions concerning textual changes. (Ibid., 310.1/11–255)↩