Assembly 405.

Trusteeship-Committee 4.

1. Fourth Committee Eleventh December adopted report of Rapporteur
including supplementary report on preambles and states directly
concerned (see Assembly 397).

2. Mandatories made statements intimating rejection of three
amendments proposed by Committee and urging approval of agreements
as revised in light of sub-committee discussion.

3. United Kingdom explained lengthy process of consultation and
adjustment which their agreements had undergone since February,
1946, resulting in alterations in almost every article since first
draft. They gave reasoned statement for rejection of each of the
three amendments sponsored by Committee.

4. Belgium. P.M.C. [1] satisfied. People have kept their sense of
local individuality. justification of 'integral part' e.g.

application of social legislation. Referring to proposal for
review every ten years, pointed out Charter provides for revision
(Article 79) and proposed amendment adds nothing and cannot alter
Charter. Amendment to prevent trustee state requiring payment for
property, installations, bases etc. on termination. Inhabitants
are protected by Article 84 against any contribution to bases, and
on other hand public works, investment etc. would be discouraged
if payment prohibited and this therefore not in interests of
inhabitants.

5. France claimed she had always preserved individuality of the
people. Supported Belgian view on revision. France does not claim
sovereignty. Commented on present air of suspicion in U.N.

contrasted with satisfaction of P.M.C. Offer to place under
trusteeship calls for confidence, undertakings to cooperate with
Trusteeship Council and to promote political development. Naggiar
then introduced an African deputy of French Chambre des Deputes
who spoke as a member of French Delegation. He said trust
agreements had been submitted to and endoresed by population of
Cameroons who were fully satisfied.

6. Australia. All proposals put forward throughout had been
carefully considered, particularly effect on administration and
attainment of objectives especially advancement of inhabitants.

Three proposed amendments would be disadvantageous to interests of
inhabitants. No claim to sovereignty. Ten year renewal
inappropriate for any territory, especially New Guinea, after
wartime dislocation and in view of nature of territory and people.

Instability injurious to the long range planning needed.

Administration has always been directed to interests of
inhabitants. Australia has never made a penny out of its
administration. Emphasis on terms of Charter and supervision of
Trusteeship Council.

7. New Zealand. Ten year revision especially inappropriate in view
of desire of Samoans for early self-government. Repudiated
suggestion that inhabitants might be asked to repay funds expended
freely by N.Z. in Samoa. Never any suggestion of Samoans having
any other nationality than their own. Defence power inherent in
administration. New Zealand anxious however to cooperate fully
with Security Council.

8. Brief speeches of explanation of vote by individual delegations
followed before vote, chiefly by delegations which during
consideration of individual proposals had voted consistently
against mandatories but which now were willing to support
agreements as a whole in order to bring trusteeship system into
operation.

9. Egypt and later all Arab states made identical declaration of
claim to be states directly concerned in any future agreement
bringing under trusteeship any Arab territory now under mandate or
any other territory comprising substantial Arab communities.

10. Mexico stressed importance of keeping inhabitants informed of
rights (e.g. petition). Supervision by Trusteeship Council relied
on.

11. Guatemala supported any proposal for raising standards of
dependent peoples. Urgent to put system into operation and give
peoples protection and advantages of principles. Asked mandataries
to keep principles underlying amendments in mind and hoped they
would before long be incorporated in the agreements.

12. Denmark would have wished to delete 'integral part' and still
thought deletion would have caused [us] [2] substantial
difficulties. Provision for revision would also have improved
agreements. Establishment of system paramount need and would
support all present agreements.

13. Iraq referred to steady support in subcommittee and committee
for certain principles, e.g. temporary nature of trusteeship,
deletion of integral part, consent of Security Council to
establishment of bases and provision for the freedoms. Would vote
in favour on clear understanding of adherence to principles
supported as above. Reserved right to press for inclusion of these
in any new or altered agreement. Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon
made Arab reservation.

14. Chile was only Latin American dissentient and spoke with some
intensity. Latin American delegations received bad impression from
debates on South West Africa and Indians in South Africa. As
mandatory powers are continuing, let them take responsibility.

Prestige of United Nations would suffer less from failure to set
up trusteeship system than it would from carrying responsibility
for trust territories under present agreements.

15. U.S.A. (Dulles) gave emphatic support to all eight agreements,
not because they were perfect but because this is a decisive
moment at which U.N. must consolidate efforts of past as condition
of advance for future. He traced history of United States share in
establishment of trusteeship system and emphasised consultations
in private throughout 1946 with mandatory states.

16. India (Krishna Menon) spoke vehemently against adoption of any
agreements. Not one delegation had spoken with enthusiasm or even
with approval of agreements submitted. He did not believe that
rejection of these agreements would have entailed loss of
trusteeship system. In one case Assembly should not accept
agreements which in basic respects contravened Charter (bases).

Mandatory states were the colonial powers of history and were out
to make trust territories block-houses on path of empire.

17. U.S.S.R. (Stein) put on record Soviet proposals directed
towards making agreements satisfactory in principle. History would
show that it was mandatories who alone were responsible for
retaining texts in almost their original form thus nullifying
utility of Assembly discussion. U.K. had not accepted any real
change except at instance of U.S.A.

18. Philippines which has played an assertive part when present
would give support to agreements for the reason and only for the
reason that it was a means of establishing the trusteeship system.

19. China has consistently maintained that mantle of League has
fallen on U.N. and that failure to set up trusteeship system would
cause an embarrassing lacuna. Doesn't regard agreements as perfect
and hopes that in time administering authorities will find it
possible to incorporate changes suggested to them. But not now so
drastically at variance with Charter as to justify rejection.

20. Norway, Peru, Brazil and Venezuela supported, latter with
compliment to Mexico.

21. Uruguay. Basic consideration the interests of inhabitants
which required establishment of Trusteeship Council. He had been
unable to find contradictions between texts and Charter. Of 230
amendments only three which passed Committee 4 had been rejected
by mandatories. Firmly hoped that Trusteeship Council would
develop desired principles.

22. Czechoslovakia voting against because Assembly should regard
seriously Soviet declaration that Article 79 not observed.

Byelorussia supported Soviet.

23. Canada in useful speech well after Soviet went on record as
contradicting main Soviet theses: (1) agreements were in
accordance with Charter. On other hand Soviet defence principles
would actually leave trust territories defenseless; (2) though
form of agreements did not make it plain, satisfied Article 79 had
been complied with. No definition had been worked out but U.S.

formula was satisfactory. Indian claim re Tanganyika was neither
withdrawn nor voted on, and he knew of no other claim. Mandatories
had done their best between first and second parts of session to
find solution.

24. On vote all agreements approved by thirty-five to eight,
abstentions nil, absentees eleven. This implies good prospect of
two-thirds vote in favour in Plenary. [1] Result a tribute to
realism of many delegations but also to good organising, chiefly
of Latin American states by U.K. and U.S.A.