tered or filed with the United Nations, bringing the total to 1,198 as of July 1, 1950; 37 volumes of the Treaty Series had appeared by the end of August, of which more than half came out during fiscal 1950. The General Assembly expressed its satisfaction with the progress achieved and adopted minor changes in the registration regu lations in the interest of economy. It did not, however, agree to sug gestions of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters looking toward economy through omission of bulky annexes and identical texts from the Treaty Series. 7. Regulations To Give Effect to Article III, Section 8, of the Headquarters Agreement Between the United Nations and the United States of America Section 8 of article III of the Headquarters Agreement between the United States and the United Nations provides that to the extent that they may be inconsistent with regulations of the United Nations "in all respects necessary for the full execution of its functions," federal, state, and local laws of the United States shall not apply within the Headquarters district of the United Nations. The General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to present such draft regulations for its approval as circumstances might require and authorized him in case of necessity to give immediate effect to regulations within the provisions of the agreement and report such action as soon as possible to the General Assembly. Budgetary, Financial, and DURING 1950 the programs of the United Nations and the specialized agencies were supported by improved administrative, organizational, and financial arrangements. Considerable progress was made in insuring close collaboration between the several agencies in their work programs, in establishing priorities for various projects within the agency programs, and in securing agreement on common administrative and financial standards and practices. One of the most promising developments was the completion, ahead of schedule, of the United Nations Secretariat building in Manhattan and its occupancy by the staff. The United Nations and several of the specialized agencies revised their scales of assessments with the result that, while the United States percentage was raised in some cases, it was lowered further in the case of the United Nations and two specialized agencies where it has been high from the beginning. Two notable advances in the field of administrative and staff arrangements were the adoption of a revised salary and allowance plan for the United Nations and the adoption of permanent financial regulations intended to serve as a model for all agencies. A. PERMANENT HEAD QUARTERS At the close of 1950 the first stage of the organization's move to the United Nations Headquarters site in Manhattan was completed, 255 941458-51- --18 well ahead of schedule, when the last major elements of the Secretariat took up permanent quarters in the new Secretariat building at the United Nations site off East Forty-second Street. Meeting facilities for the Security Council and the other United Nations councils and committees will be retained at Lake Success until the Conference building is completed at the Headquarters site some time after the middle of 1951. The third major unit, the General Assembly building, is under construction and should be completed during 1952. There is also in progress a three-level, 1,500-car underground garage, to be covered in part by the General Assembly building and in part by landscaped gardens. The Headquarters buildings have been planned for maximum efficiency, adaptability to the particular needs of the organization, economy, and harmonious architectural effect. The 39-story Secretariat building is thoroughly modern in its engineering features and design and forms an integral part of the architectural plan of the project as a whole. The Secretariat building will have direct access to the Conference building, in which will be located the Security Council Chamber, the chambers for the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council, and meeting facilities for committees and official conferences. In the Conference building there will also be dining rooms and a cafeteria. The General Assembly building will provide an auditorium with seating accommodations for 360 representatives of member states and their staffs with additional space for observers, members of the press, and for the general public. The auditorium will be equipped for simultaneous interpretation of proceedings and will have accommodations for news dispatching, television, and photography. On the two lower levels of the General Assembly building will be located radio studios, recording rooms, and additional committee and conference rooms. The building will be connected with the Conference area by a glass-enclosed corridor. To complete the Headquarters project, the city of New York is undertaking certain improvements on the thoroughfares adjoining the site. The city is widening and reconstructing First Avenue with a tunnel for through traffic. It is preparing to widen the Fortysecond and Forty-seventh Street approaches to the site and has cooperated with the United Nations in the relocation of Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive along the East River. The cost of constructing, landscaping, and furnishing the Headquarters buildings is being met out of the $65,000,000 interest-free loan authorized by the United States Congress in an act approved on August 11, 1948. To the end of December 1950, the United States Government had made advances to the United Nations from the loan fund to a total of approximately $44,441,000. These payments are made pursuant to the terms of the Headquarters Loan Agreement included as a part of the authorizing legislation. As stipulated in the loan agreement, repayment of the loan begins with an installment of $1,000,000 on July 1, 1951, and provision for this payment is made in the U.N. budget for the calendar year 1951. In his report on the Headquarters project to the fifth General Assembly the Secretary-General pointed out that, since 1947 when the original estimates were made, building and construction costs have risen more than 10 percent. In an attempt to keep costs within the original amount it has been necessary to make many readjustments, changes, and substitutions. Less expensive finishing materials, for example, have been substituted where such a change would not detract from the utility or the general architectural effect of the structures. The completion of some of the less urgently required facilities has been deferred, and reductions have been made in the amounts originally budgeted for furniture, landscaping, and electrical installations. In the Fifth Committee (Administrative) of the General Assembly, the representative of the Secretary-General indicated that total expenditures might ultimately exceed somewhat the $65,000,000 maximum project cost approved to date. However, it was anticipated that such additional funds as might be needed would be relatively small and could be met from the annual budgets. The Secretary-General did not request supplementary appropriations at that time. The services of the Headquarters Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of 16 member states, including the United States, were available to the Secretary-General during 1950 for consultation on all phases of the Headquarters project. After conferring with members of this committee, the Secretary-General in March 1950 appointed a Board of Art Advisers to assist him in establishing appropriate policy guides as to the interior and exterior decoration of the Headquarters buildings in keeping with the basic architectural plan. The Board also reviews all offers, proposals, and donations of works of art from governments, organizations, and individuals. Offers of gifts and donations for the Headquarters buildings and grounds have been encouraged and many such offers have already been received. Works of art, furnishings, and decorative materials must meet certain qualifications to be acceptable. The Board of Art Advisers has found it advisable to recommend that no gifts should be accepted which could be interpreted as having commercial significance or advertising value to the donor; and second, that portraits of national and international figures might be acceptable, subject to the provision that they form part of a nonpermanent exhibition and be considered on the basis of their artistic merit, regardless of the personalities involved. The Governments of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have indicated their intention of supplying some of the interior furnishings, as well as the interior design, for the three Council Chambers. The city of New York is considering the gift of a memorial gateway and a decorative fence for the site, which would be presented by the people of the city of New York. B. UNITED NATIONS POSTAL The fifth General Assembly considered a draft agreement for the establishment of a U. N. postal administration, pursuant to the provisions of the U. N. Headquarters agreement, and authorized the Secretary-General to proceed with the conclusion of the agreement. The draft agreement, which was worked out jointly by representatives of the Secretary-General and officers of the U. S. Post Office Department, provides for the establishment of a U. N. Post Office Station at U. N. Headquarters in Manhattan, to be operated by the U. S. Post Office Department. The U. N. Post Office Station will furnish, at prevailing rates, all the services offered by any U. S. Post Office having comparable operations. The U. N. Post Office Station will, however, use exclusively U. N. postage stamps and U. N. postmarks. The United Nations will arrange for the designing and production of U. N. postage stamps and will furnish free of charge to the U. S. postal authorities operating the station the quantities of such stamps required to meet the needs of the station. Such stamps will be valid only for mail matter posted at the U. N. Post Office Station. All revenue derived from the operation of the station will be retained by the U. S. Post Office Department. The United Nations will maintain a separate office to handle mail-order sales of U. N. postage stamps for philatelic purposes and the United Nations will retain the revenue derived from these mail-order sales. The draft agreement provides the means for its revision after one year and for its termination upon one year's notice by either party. It is anticipated that to a considerable extent the U. N. Post Office |