to participate without vote in its deliberations and in those of the commissions established by it.

3. The Economic and Social Council should adopt its own rules of procedure and the method of selecting its President.

CHAPTER X. THE SECRETARIAT

1. There should be a Secretariat comprising a Secretary-General and such staff as may be required. The Secretary-General should be the chief administrative officer of the Organization. He should be elected by the General Assembly, on recommendation of the Security Council, for such term and under such conditions as are specified in the Charter. 2. The Secretary-General should act in that capacity in all meetings of the General Assembly, of the Security Council, and of the Economic and Social Council and should make an annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the Organization.

3. The Secretary-General should have the right to bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten international peace and security.

CHAPTER XI. AMENDMENTS

Amendments should come into force for all members of the Organization, when they have been adopted by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by the members of the Organization having permanent membership on the Security Council and by a majority of the other members of the Organization.

CHAPTER XII. TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

1. Pending the coming into force of the special agreement or agreements referred to in Chapter VIII, Section B, paragraph 5, and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 5 of the Four-Nation Declaration, signed at Moscow, October 30, 1943, the states parties to that Declaration should consult with one another and as occasion arises with other members of the Organization with a view to such joint action on behalf of the Organization as may be necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.

2. No provision of the Charter should preclude action taken or authorized in relation to enemy states as a result of the present war by the Governments having responsibility for such action.

NOTE

In addition to the question of voting procedure in the Security Council referred to in Chapter VI, several other questions are still under consideration.

WASHINGTON, D. C.

October 7, 1944

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE

DUMBARTON OAKS PROPOSALS

HE Department of State has prepared the following questions and answers to assist in the study of the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals:

What Are the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals?

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

What Is the Present Status of the Proposals?

The Proposals are now being examined by the four governments. They are being discussed through informal official consultations, as well as by private groups, individuals, on the radio, and in the press and periodicals generally.

When a number of topics left for further consideration by the governments represented at Dumbarton Oaks have been completed, the Proposals will 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 prepared. The Charter would be subject to ratification by the signatory states in accordance with their constitutional processes.

What States Would Be Members of the Organization?

Membership of the Organization would be open to all peace-loving states. States which do not become original members could be admitted by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Security Council.

As in the League of Nations, provision is made for expulsion from membership, but, unlike the League, there would be available the less drastic procedure of suspension from the exercise of any right or privilege of membership of any member against which preventive or enforcement action is taken.

With What Major Problems Would the Organization Deal?

To preserve international peace and security, it would seek to prevent the outbreak of war by (1) encouraging and promoting peaceful adjustment or settlement of international disputes by judicial and political means, (2) preventing and removing threats to the peace, and (3) suppressing breaches of the peace, by combined force if necessary.

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

Upon What Principles of International Action Would the Organization Operate?

The Organization and its members would be obligated to act in accordance with a number of specific principles that would be stated in the Charter, including the sovereign equality of all peace-loving states, the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security would not be endangered, and abstention from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the Organization. So far as would be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Organization would insure that non-members would act in accordance with the principles stated in the Proposals.

Through What Main Bodies Would the Organization Function?

A General Assembly, composed of all member states, meeting in annual and special sessions, and in which each state would have one vote. In contrast with the unanimity rule that prevailed in the League Assembly, the General Assembly's most important decisions would be made by a two-thirds majority of those states present and voting; on other questions, decisions would be by a simple majority vote.

A Security Council, composed of eleven member states, and so organized as to permit it to function continuously. The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and in due course France, would have permanent seats, since these states, because of their capacity and resources, must assume the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The remaining members of the Security Council would be elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. All member states, regardless of size or other considerations, would be eligible for election to the nonpermanent seats. Voting arrangements on the Security Council are under consideration.

An international court of justice, to whose statute all members of the Organization would be parties. All member states would have equal access to, and equal standing before, the international court. A Secretariat, comprising an expert staff and headed by a SecretaryGeneral as chief administrative officer.

An Economic and Social Council, composed of representatives of eighteen member states chosen by the General Assembly for threeyear terms. All member states would be eligible for representation

on the Economic and Social Council, and recommendations would be made by majority vote.

A Military Staff Committee, a new feature in international organization, composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives, with provision for participation by other member states when the efficient discharge of the Committee's responsibilities requires it.

What Would Be the Primary Responsibilities of the General Assembly?

The General Assembly would:

(1) provide an international forum in which all member states, on a basis of sovereign equality, could consult together to develop their friendly relations, to deal with their common problems, and to promote measures to strengthen universal peace; (2) initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international cooperation in political, economic, and social fields and to adjust situations likely to impair the general welfare; (3) aid in the peaceful adjustment of international disputes, except that it would not on its own initiative make recommendations or take action on any matter relating to the maintenance of international peace and security being dealt with by the Security Council. However, the Assembly would not at any time be prevented from discussing any question or situation, whether concerning international security or otherwise;

(4) have responsibility, with the aid of the Economic and Social Council, for promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

(5) elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and all members of the Economic and Social Council;

(6) admit new members, expel any member, and suspend from the exercise of any rights or privileges of membership any member against which preventive or enforcement action is taken, upon recommendation of the Security Council; (7) make recommendations for the coordination of the policies of international economic, social, and other specialized agencies brought into relation with the Organization; and

(8) be responsible for the finances of the Organization.

Unlike the League of Nations where both the Assembly and the Council had similar general powers, in the proposed Organization the General Assembly would thus have primary responsibility for the facilitation of solutions of international economic, social, and other humanitarian problems, and the creation in general of conditions conducive to the maintenance of peace and promotion of general

welfare, while the Security Council would have primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

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

The Security Council, constituted as a relatively small body to act quickly, 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.

If necessary, the Security Council could take enforcement action not only as in the League when a state resorted to war in violation of its obligations under the League Covenant, but also in the event of a threat to the peace to prevent its developing into a breach of peace.

While the Proposals thus provide greater centralization of responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security than did the League Covenant, these powers would be exercised under the authority of the entire Security Council and on behalf of the whole Organization, and in accordance with the specified principles and purposes of the Organization.

What Would Be the Functions of the International Court of Justice? As the principal judicial organ of the Organization, the court would consider and render judgments in justiciable disputes referred to it by member states. The court would also, upon request, give advice to the Security Council on legal questions involved in other disputes. The specific powers and jurisdiction of the court would be defined in a statute which would be annexed to and be a part of the Charter of the Organization, instead of being an independent instrument as was the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice.