CONTENTS Andrews, Paul S., dean emeritus, Syracuse University Law School... 1825 Barnhardt, John J., member, foreign relations commission, American Bauer, Col. Frederic G., member, executive committee, American 1733 Bricker, Hon. John W., United States Senator from Ohio.. Carraway, Miss Gertrude S., president general, Daughters of the Harrington, Rev. Donald, American Unitarian Association. Hart, Merwin K., president, National Economic Council.. Hoover, Hon. Herbert, former President of the United States. Howard, Mrs. Ernest W., legislative chairman, Wheel of Progress Javits, Hon. Jacob K., attorney general, State of New York. Johnson, Clifford R., International Peace Advocates Army. Johnson, Joseph E., president, Carnegie Endowment for International Lloyd, William Bross editor, Toward Freedom, Chicago, Ill Lodge, Hon. Henry Cabot, Jr., United States representative to the McNamara, Francis J., director, American sovereignty campaign, 1683 1952 Patton, Mrs. James B., national chairman, national defense commit- 1923 Roosevelt, Mrs. Eleanor, former United States Representative to the Commission on Human Rights, U. N. Economic and Social Council; former United States Representative to the U. N. General Assembly. 1799 Schneeberg, Boris, chairman, New York Citizens Committee for a Smith, Gerald L. K., director, Christian Nationalist Crusade. Stanley, C. M., president, United World Federalists, accompanied by Prof. A. J. G. Priest, University of Virginia Law School, and Pierce Stephens, Mrs. Waldo, director of national board, League of Women 1752 Truman, Hon. Harry S., former President of the United States Voorhis, Jerry, executive director, the Cooperative League of the Willenbucher, Capt. Franz O., U. S. N. (retired), accompanied by 1790 APPENDIX Statements and letters inserted in the record by Cahn, Mrs. Moise, president, National Council of Jewish Women, Inc. 2026 1992 Chapman, Mrs. Theodore S., president, General Federation of Women's 1994 Goldsmith, Arthur J., New York, N. Y__. 1994 Jones, Isabella J., chairman, national legislation committee, Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., and attachments__ 1995 Kendall, Elizabeth A., Chevy Chase, Md.. 1998 1999 Leetch, Mrs. William D., chairman of legislation, National Society of 2008 McDonald, Donald J., news editor, The Catholic Messenger_. 2009 2015 Miles, Clarence R., manager, legislative department, Chamber of 2029 Senf, Miss Caherine, Washington, D. C--- 2019 Sheldon, Albert, executive secretary and associate director, God's 2017 Thomas, Norman, chairman, Post War World Council_. 2028 IV REVIEW OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER MONDAY, APRIL 18, 1955 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:35 a. m., in room 318, the Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C., Senator Walter F. George (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators George, Holland, Humphrey, Wiley, Smith of New Jersey, Knowland, and Aiken. Also present: Senators Green, Barkley, Langer, Capehart, and Morse. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order. OPENING REMARKS OF THE CHAIRMAN Ten years ago this month, the representatives of some 50 nations met in San Francisco to draft the United Nations Charter. On July 2, 1945, the President of the United States appeared personally before the Senate and submitted the charter for its consideration. At that time, the President stated: The choice before the Senate is now clear. The choice is not between this charter and something else. It is between this charter and no charter at all. This Nation has now had 10 years' experience as a member of this worldwide peace organization, the first such organization of which the United States has been a member. The charter provides, as do many instruments of this type, for its own reconsideration. It provides that at the end of 10 years, the General Assembly is to consider whether to hold a conference to review the charter. This autumn, the General Assembly will automatically have that question before it. Nearly 2 years ago, the then Senator from Iowa, Mr. Guy Gillette, proposed that the United States Senate consider what, if any, changes it might be suitable for the United States to seek in the event a Charter Review Conference might be held. The Senate approved the Gillette resolution and this subcommittee was created. It is the duty of this subcommittee to take a careful look at the charter, and in due course to assist the Senate in the discharge of its constitutional function to advise with the President in the conduct of our foreign policy. I hope our work will be productive. We have examined, in a series of studies, the main problems of charter review. We have sought the views of Americans in 10 different cities. We seek now the views of some of the men and women who were most instrumental in bringing the United Nations into existence and who have labored hardest to make it work. I have invited the full Committee on Foreign Relations to meet today so that we may have the benefit of the views of President Truman. We sit, Mr. President, as a nonpartisan, or bipartisan, group. We are concerned as Americans with that area of our foreign policy relating to our participation in the United Nations. We are most anxious that our participation be in accordance with our national interests and that it serve to help the world keep at peace. Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure today to welcome you back to the Senate, which you served so faithfully and so well. It is fitting that you should return 10 years after you presented the United Nations Charter to the Senate to discuss with us the work of that organization. You may proceed in your own way, and we are delighted to have you. STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY S. TRUMAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Mr. TRUMAN. Thank you very much, Senator George, and with your permission and the forbearance of the committee, I should like very much to read a statement which I have prepared for this committee, after which, if I am capable of it, I will be glad to answer questions as far as I can. The CHAIRMAN. Your wishes will be respected. Mr. TRUMAN. It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to testify before you today. I am grateful to Senator George for his invitation. I understand that the subject you have under consideration is the amending of the Charter of the United Nations. SIGNIFICANT THAT U. N. STILL FUNCTIONS IN TODAY'S WORLD SITUATION The United Nations is now almost 10 years old. This has been a rough and stormy decade for an organization dedicated to the cause of world peace. Since the charter was signed in San Francisco, an international situation has developed which in many ways is far more serious, far more dangerous than the international rivalries which produced World War I and World War II. The present international situation is worse than the one which wrecked the League of Nations and rendered it ineffective. Nevertheless, one of the most significant things about the world situation today is that the United Nations still exists. It is still a functioning body with a powerful influence. In spite of dissatisfactions and dissensions, none of the great powers has withdrawn. Whatever its weakness and difficulties, the United Nations is a power to be reckoned with, and no aggressor can afford to ignore it. This, in and of itself, is a great achievement. The mere existence of the United Nations after a period of such terrible international tension, is an important and hopeful fact. It demonstrates the tremendous underlying desire of all peoples for international peace. WITHOUT THE U. N. WORLD WAR WOULD HAVE RESULTED I will go even further than this. I believe that if we had not had the United Nations, the events of these last ten years would again have plunged the world into unlimited international warfare. The fact that we have not had such a war is attributable in considerable measure to the existence of the United Nations. U. N. AN INDISPENSABLE FORCE FOR PEACE In my judgment, the United Nations is an indispensable force for peace in the world today. It is true, of course, that the present status of the United Nations does not correspond to the high hopes which were held for it when it was first created. Nevertheless, those of us who helped to set up the United Nations knew that it would have a long and difficult task. We did not go overboard on the assumption that once the charter was signed, world peace was assured forever. CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH U. N. WAS CREATED I remember very well the circumstances under which the United Nations was created. The first question that was asked me after I took the oath of office as President of the United States at 7:09 p. m. on April 12, 1945, was whether I wanted the San Francisco Conference to open as planned on April 25. It was my firm conviction on that night just 10 years ago that the establishment of the United Nations was absolutely essential to the maintenance of world peace, and I knew that the great majority of the American people felt the same way. I recall my surprise that there should be any doubt in anyone's mind about holding the San Francisco meeting to draft the United Nations Charter on schedule. ATTITUDE OF SOVIET UNION TOWARD SAN FRANCISCO CONFERENCE I soon found out that the eagerness we felt in the United States for the success of the San Francisco Conference was not felt universally. Representatives of the Soviet Union had participated in the preliminary meetings at Dumbarton Oaks, and Stalin had pledged the support of his country to the United Nations at Yalta. But the victory in Europe now seemed certain, and the Soviet leaders seemed to feel that they could turn their backs on their promises. They implied that the United Nations was not so important after all, and that Foreign Minister Molotov would not attend the San Francisco meeting. This looked to me like a double-barreled challenge: First, would we accept without protest the breaking of an understanding that the foreign ministers of the principal powers would attend, and, more important, could we permit the Soviets to torpedo the Conference by openly showing a lack of interest? Just because the end of the war in Europe was in sight, I had no intention of ignoring agreements that had beeen made during the heat of combat. The United Nations idea was too important for the future of mankind to be treated in an on-and-off fashion. I informed Premier Stalin that it was imperative for Foreign Minister Molotov |