Cablegram United Nations 374 NEW YORK, 19 August 1946, 9.35 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
Security 139.
1. Committee on Membership considered today the skeleton of the report. It is proposed that after giving formal account of the Committee’s organisation and method of work the report will summarize main points of discussion on each applicant. Conclusions will be limited to a statement whether or not sufficient information is available for the Security Council to reach a decision. While not modelled exactly as we would have wished the report will be factual and will generally meet our views except that after stating the above-mentioned conclusion it is proposed to give the attitude of Delegations for or against the applicant.
We protested against including this section but found little support except from Mexico and Egypt.
2. In view of the proposed references to attitudes of Delegations, and in order to cover the points raised in your personal telegram 14 [1], we suggest, subject to your instructions, to add a general reservation on behalf of Australia, covering the following points- (A) Our view that Assembly should deal with applications in the first instance;
(B) Our participation in Committee’s work as a member of the Security Council was consequential on decision by majority of Security Council and is not to be regarded as limiting our right to re-open the procedural question if we think fit;
(C) We do not regard the fact that any application has been or has not been considered by Committee as excluding such application from consideration by other organisations;
(D)Because of our views regarding correct procedure and our views regarding Committee’s functions we limited our participation in Committee’s work to assisting to obtain information concerning applications and we did not feel called upon to announce either our support or rejection of any applicant.
3. Report will probably be completed tomorrow night.
_
Document 71.
_
[AA:A1838 T189, 854/10/14, i]