SFC27
Trusteeship (1)
1. Committee's discussions have been based on 'Working Paper'
prepared by Stassen. [1] This paper was designed to consolidate
the proposals made by the United States, United Kingdom, Union of
Socialist Soviet Republics, China, France, Australia. It was
accepted by the Committee as a working document without commitment
on the part of any of the Powers mentioned. See text in
Trusteeship telegram 2. [2]

2. In Committee, Delegations including those which had put forward
proposals made statements of their position. Detailed discussion
then proceeded on the basis of the Working Paper. The position at
24th May is shown in Trusteeship telegram 3 containing document
entitled 'Text of Working Paper as approved and amended in full
Committee through the 10th meeting'.

This paper was basis of work in first Drafting Committee. Minor
verbal amendments have been adopted in Drafting Committee but
consideration is incomplete.

3. At 10th meeting an Australian amendment to Working Paper was
handed in for circulation. Text is contained in Trusteeship
telegram
4. The objectives are:-

(A) To provide means by which the general principles in part 'A'
concerning the welfare of dependent peoples may be effected;

(B) To obtain inclusion in the Charter of 'Safeguards' along the
lines of Article 22 of League Covenant;

(C) To give more moral appeal to what is so far a very barren and
arid document, and
(D) To endeavour to implement the policy laid down at Wellington
in November.

4. These Australian proposals are at present under consultation
with United States and United Kingdom. A meeting of British
Commonwealth Representatives on 25th May discussed the proposals.

Consultation is as yet incomplete but there are signs that many
points are favourably regarded by Americans and British.

5. It will be noted that four things of special interest to
Australia have so far been accepted-
(A) That there should be in the Charter a declaration of the
general principle of trusteeship. This is a notable step forward
and can rightly be claimed to be due mainly to Australian
initiative;

(B) That there can be no change in the terms of any mandate
without the full consent of the Mandatory Power. This will fully
protect our rights in New Guinea;

(C) Changes in terms can be obtained. We could therefore get rid
of the non-fortification provision in the New Guinea Mandate. This
establishes a principle which could possibly be applied outside
the specific United Nations Trusteeship system in the event that
we decided not to place New Guinea under this system. There is of
course no binding commitment to make a new agreement placing a
mandated territory under this system;

(D) The principle of an International Expert Body is accepted.

Similar remarks to those in (V[C]) above apply, i.e. the
Trusteeship Council is to be concerned only with Territories
placed under the United Nations System. Our proposals, however,
might possibly result in the functions of this body being extended
at least to the regular receiving of information in respect of
non-trusteeship Colonial territories.

Australian influence on the treatment of trusteeship at this
Conference has been considerable.

[matter omitted]

Trusteeship (4)
Proposed new part (C) to be added to working paper.

C. Promotion of Welfare and Development
1. Member States responsible for the administration of territories
of the type referred to in Part 'A' undertake-
(A) To secure just treatment of the native inhabitants of such
territories.

(B) To maintain freedom of conscience and religion, subject only
to the maintenance of public order and morals.

(C) To prohibit and suppress abuses such as the slave trade, the
arms traffic and the liquor traffic.

(D) To abstain from the Military training of natives for other
than Police purposes and defence purposes.

(E) To encourage by financial and other appropriate means research
into the economic and social problems of dependent peoples,
including research into Health, Anthropological, Agricultural and
other like problems.

(F) To furnish regularly to the Secretariat of the United Nations
all available statistics and other information of a technical
nature relating to the health, nutrition, welfare, education,
economic and labour conditions of the peoples of each such
territory.

(G) To promote in territories under their administration, and to
co-operate with other states in promoting positive measures for
economic development calculated to raise the standards of living
of the peoples of the territories concerned, and
(H) To co-operate with one another and other states, but through
functional organisation of or associated with the United Nations
and through regional bodies with a view to giving practical effect
to the principles affirmed in Part 'A' and the safeguards and
measures mentioned in this paragraph.

2. (A) In order to give fuller effect to the general principles
declared in Section A, the General Assembly may specify
territories in respect of which it shall be the duty of the States
responsible for their administration to furnish annual reports to
the United Nations upon the economic, social and political
development of the territories concerned.

(B) Before specifying any such territories the General Assembly
shall convene a conference or conferences of states responsible
for the administration of territories inhabited by peoples not yet
able to stand alone under the strenuous conditions of the modern
world, and shall take into account the recommendations made by any
such conference.