DEPOSITED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

JANI '45

THE Department of State has prepared the following

questions and answers to assist in the study of Dumbarton Oaks Proposals:

What Are the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals?

The Dumbarton Oaks Proposals are recommendations for the establishment of a general international organization, which were agreed to by representatives of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China, at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D. C. The Proposals were published October 9, 1944.

What Use Will Be Made of These Proposals?

The Proposals are now being considered by these four Governments, with a view to completing several topics left for further consideration. The completed Proposals will then be formally submitted to the various Governments to serve as a basis of discussion at a full United Nations Conference at which the Charter of the Organization will be drawn up. The Charter would be subject to ratification by the signatory states in accordance with their constitutional processes.

In What Major Fields Would the Proposed Organization Operate?

In the field of security, it would seek to prevent the outbreak of war (1) by encouraging peaceful adjustment or settlement of international disputes, (2) by preventing and removing threats to the peace, and (3) by suppressing breaches of the peace, by combined force if

necessary.

In the field of economic and social cooperation, it would facilitate solutions of international economic, social, and other humanitarian problems, and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Through What Main Bodies Would the Organization Operate?

A General Assembly, composed of representatives of all member states, meeting in annual and special sessions, in which each state would have one vote;

A Security Council, composed of representatives of eleven member states and so organized as to be able to function continuously. The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and eventually France, would have permanent seats, while six states would be elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly;

An international court of justice, to whose statute all members of the Organization would be parties;

A Secretariat, comprising an expert staff and headed by a Secretary-General as chief administrative officer;

An Economic and Social Council, composed of representatives of eighteen member states chosen by the General Assembly for threeyear terms;

A Military Staff Committee, composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives with provision for the participation by other states when necessary.

What States Would Be Members of the Organization?

Any peace-loving state could become a member of the Organization. States which do not become original members could be admitted by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Security Council.

What Would Be the Primary Responsibilities of the General Assembly?

It would:

(1) initiate studies and make recommendations for the promotion of international cooperation in political, economic, and social fields and for adjustment of situations likely to impair the general welfare;

(2) consider and make recommendations with respect both to general principles of cooperation in, and questions relating to, the maintenance of international peace and security, except that the General Assembly would not on its own initiative make recommendations on any matter relating to the maintenance of international peace and security being dealt with by the Security Council;

(3) make recommendations for coordinating the policies of the specialized agencies brought into relationship with the Organization;

(4) elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and all the members of the Economic and Social Council; and (5) be responsible for the finances of the Organization.

What Would Be the Principal Powers of the Security Council for Maintaining Peace?

It would be empowered:

(1) to investigate any dispute or any situation the continuance of which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute;

(2) to call upon states to settle their disputes by peaceful means of their own choice;

(3) to recommend to states appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment of disputes likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security;

(4) to determine whether any situation threatens the peace or involves a breach of the peace, and to take any measures necessary to maintain or restore peace, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Organization;

(5) to take diplomatic, economic, and other measures to give effect to its decisions; and

(6) to employ air, naval, or land forces to maintain or restore international peace, if measures short of force prove inadequate.

How Would the Security Council Obtain the Military Forces That Might Be Needed in Maintaining Peace?

Member states would conclude a special agreement or agreements among themselves, subject to approval by the Security Council and to ratification in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. The agreement or agreements would specify the numbers and types of forces and the nature of the facilities and assistance to be made available to the Security Council. The Security Council could call upon some of the members of the Organization, or when necessary all of them, to make available the forces, facilities, or assistance thus agreed upon, including national air-force contingents which member states would hold immediately available to enable urgent military measures to be taken by the Organization.

How Would the Security Council Employ Any Military Forces Made Available to It?

Armed forces placed at the disposal of the Security Council would operate under its authority in accordance with plans made by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee. Questions of the command of such forces would be worked out later.

What Provisions Are Made for the Regulation of Armaments?

The Security Council would have responsibility for formulating plans for the establishment of a system of regulation of armaments to be submitted to member states. The Military Staff Committee would advise the Security Council on questions relating to the regulation of armaments and to possible disarmament.

What Would Be the Functions of the International Court of Justice? As the principal judicial organ of the Organization, it would consider and render judgments in disputes referred to it which can be settled upon the basis of rules of law. The court would also, upon

request, give advice to the Security Council on legal questions involved in other disputes.

What Would Be the Chief Responsibilities of the Economic and Social Council?

The Economic and Social Council, acting under the authority of the General Assembly, would be responsible for:

(1) facilitating solutions of international economic, social, and other humanitarian problems;

(2) promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and

(3) recommending the coordination of the activities of international organizations and agencies which may be brought into relationship with the Organization, such as the projected United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Labor Organization, the proposed International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and probably other specialized agencies in the field of education, cultural cooperation, health, etc.

Why Should the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and France Have Permanent Seats on the Security Council?

It is necessary and inevitable that primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security should rest upon those states which, by reason of their capacity and resources, are in the best position to exercise that responsibility most effectively. This heavy responsibility would be discharged under the authority of the whole Security Council and on behalf of the whole Organization.

What Positions Would Smaller States Have in the Organization?

In the General Assembly their representatives would have an equal voice with the larger states. They would occupy six non-permanent seats on the Security Council and so participate in all important security decisions. All members of the Organization would have equal access to and equal standing before the international court of justice, and would be equally eligible to election as one of the eighteen members of the Economic and Social Council.

What Would Be the Effect of the Establishment of the United Nations Upon the Inter-American System and Any Other Such Regional Arrangements?

Regional systems or arrangements whose principles and purposes are consistent with those of the United Nations Organization would not be prohibited. These systems and arrangements would be encouraged, either on the initiative of the states concerned or by reference

from the Security Council, to undertake the peaceful settlement of such disputes as are appropriate for regional action. Regional agencies might also be used in enforcement actions, but only with the authorization and under the supervision of the Security Council.

What Are Some of the Important Differences Between the Proposed Organization and the League of Nations?

(1) Unlike the League of Nations, where both the Assembly and the Council had similar general powers, in the proposed Organization the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security would be assigned to the Security Council, while the General Assembly would have primary responsibility for the facilitation of solutions of international economic, social, and other humanitarian problems and the promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

(2) The proposed Charter would make illegal the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the Organization, in contrast to the League Covenant which made only outright war illegal.

(3) The proposed Organization would be empowered to ensure that states not members of the Organization act in accordance with the principles of the Organization so far as may be necessary. for the maintenance of international peace and security, whereas the League Covenant contained no provision with respect to compliance by non-member states with the principles of the Covenant for the maintenance of peace.

(4) The new Organization would not have one Council, as did the League, but would have instead more specialized Councils, including the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, each with responsibilities in clearly defined fields and with different composition and powers to correspond with their specialized tasks.

(5) The Security Council would have greater powers in the use of military and non-military enforcement measures than did the League Council, particularly since the projected agreements and arrangements among member states would place two basic obligations on states not explicitly recognized under the League: the obligations (a) to make available forces, facilities, and assistance necessary to the Security Council in maintaining peace, and (b) to hold immediately available national air-force contingents for carrying out urgent military measures through combined international enforcement action.

(6) The Economic and Social Council, under the authority of the General Assembly, would be empowered to consider not only