2. Address by President Harry S. Truman to the General Assembly, October 23, 1946 3. Address by the Honorable Warren R. Austin to the General Assembly, October 30, 1946 4. Address by Secretary of State James F. Byrnes to the General Assembly, December 13, 1946 5. Statement by President Truman, November 6, 1946, Concerning Proposed United States Trustee- ship of Former Japanese Islands in the Pacific 6. Draft Trusteeship Agreement for the Japanese Man- dated Islands, Transmitted by the United States November 6, 1946, for Information to the Other Members of the Security Council and to New Zealand and the Republic of the Philip- 7. United States Proposals for the Control of Atomic Energy, Presented by the Honorable Bernard M. Baruch to the United Nations Atomic En- ergy Commission, June 14, 1946 8. Address by the Honorable Bernard M. Baruch, United States Representative, to the Atomic Energy Commission December 5, 1946 9. Address by the Honorable Bernard M. Baruch, I. General Assembly Importance of the General Assembly HE FIRST SESSION of the General Assembly of the United Nations TH was divided into two parts. The first portion of the session was held in London from January 10 to February 14, 1946 and was devoted primarily to the establishment of the functioning organization of the United Nations, although certain substantive problems were also considered. The work of the London meeting is described in the Report of the Secretary of State on the First Part of the First Session of the General Assembly.1 On October 23, 1946, the General Assembly of the United Nations was convened for the Second Part of its First Session-the first meeting of the Assembly to be held on American soil. Before the session drew to a close on December 16, 1946, the First General Assembly had written an impressive record of achievement. The United States Delegation played a prominent role in the Assembly's work. In the light of experience it is possible now to assess with greater certainty the position and value of the General Assembly in the opérations of the United Nations. The General Assembly is primarily a deliberative body in which the views of all Members are tested in public debate and are reconciled, where possible, in recommendations embodying a consensus of the majority of Member states. The wide importance of the Assembly's deliberations and recommendations has been demonstrated by the vigor with which opinions have been presented in its sessions and the attention with which its decisions are received. No other organ gives direct voice to the views of all the Members of the United Nations. No other organ has within its competence the discussion of all matters within the scope of the Charter. Because of its prestige and its all-inclusive membership the General Assembly establishes the climate of opinion within which the inter 1 Submitted to the President of the United States Mar. 1, 1946, and transmitted to Congress Mar. 19, 1946, Department of State publication 2484; H. R. 509, 79th Cong., 2d sess. |