Cablegram United Nations 593 NEW YORK, 31 October 1946, 10.14 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE
Assembly 65.
1. Admission of new members is likely to be the first item considered by Committee No. 1 when it meets next Saturday morning.
In conformity with instructions [1], we have in mind present 2 resolutions dealing with- (a) Procedures regarding admission, and (b) Admission of Trans-Jordan and Eire.
Texts of these resolutions are as follows:
2. (a) The General Assembly, recognising that the admission of new members to the United Nations is a corporate act of the whole organisation, requests the Security Council to appoint a committee to confer with the Standing Committee on Procedure of the General Assembly with a view to preparing rules governing the admission of new members which will be acceptable both to the General Assembly and to the Security Council.
In the preparation of such rules regard should be paid to the following principles:
(i) The admission of new members is a corporate act.
(ii) The General Assembly has primary and final responsibility in the process of admission.
(iii) The Security Council not having been given any general power covering all matters within the scope of the Charter, its recommendation for the admission of an applicant to membership should be based solely on the judgment of the Council that the applicant state is able and willing to carry out its obligations under those sections of the Charter which come within the competence of the Security Council.
(b) The General Assembly, being of the opinion that Trans-Jordan and Eire are qualified for membership in the United Nations, refers the applications of these States to the Security Council for re-examination and requests the Security Council to make a special report, during the currency of the present session of the General Assembly, on the qualifications of these applicants so far as those qualifications concern matters within the competence of the Security Council.
3. Regarding (a) we still cannot anticipate much support for our constitutional argument but we may be able to pick up more support on grounds that rules as a matter of interest to both bodies should be worked out jointly.
4. Regarding (b) there is a probability that either United Kingdom or United States may seek reconsideration of all applicants, their view being that even doubtful applicants like Albania can be watched better inside the Organisation than outside. Any move for reconsideration will also probably result in Soviet request for admission of Albania and Outer Mongolia. If reconsideration of all applicants can be brought about in a way that gives sole attention to the merits of the candidates and avoids any suggestion of bargaining, it would be difficult to raise objections to proposal for reconsideration of all applicants by Security Council.
5. We would appreciate urgent instructions. [2]
_
1 See Document 171.
2 The External Affairs Dept approved the first draft resolution but instructed that the second be broadened to include a review of all pending applications, not just those of Transjordan and Eire.
_
[AA:A3195, 946, 1.26067]