World War I, Morocco has assumed the financial obligations of Austria and Germany.

UNITED STATES RELATIONS

Authorization. United States participation in the Commission was authorized by signature to the treaty of 1865 on May 31, 1865, and ratification thereof on July 14, 1866.12

Payments. The annual quota of the United States is paid from funds appropriated for this purpose to the Department of State. Its share for the calendar year 1948 amounted to 250,000 Moroccan francs ($687) and for 1949 wil lprobably amount to 650,000 Moroccan francs (estimated at $1,740). The United States quota represents 8.34 percent of total assessments.

Agencies Chiefly Concerned. The Department of State is responsible for requesting appropriations for participation in the Commission. Participation. The United States is represented on the Commission by its diplomatic agent at Tangier.

RELATIONS WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

No formal relationships are maintained with other international organizations.

BASIC TEXTS AND PUBLICATIONS

U.S. Department of State. Convention as to the Cape Spartel Lighthouse: Concluded between the United States (and other countries) May 31, 1865. Ratified by the President, July 14, 1866. Ratifications exchanged February 14, 1867. Proclaimed March 12, 1867. Treaty Series 245. 18 Stat., pt. 2, 525.

International Telecommunication Union

rue de Paquis, Geneva, Switzerland

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

By resolutions adopted by the International Telegraph Conference, Paris, 1925, and the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Washington, 1927, both Conferences met in Madrid in 1932 to adopt a single convention for both telegraph and radio. The Telecommunication Convention of Madrid, signed December 9, 1932, which entered into force in January 1934, abrogated the previous radiotelegraph and tele12 See Basic Texts and Publications, below.

graph conventions and established the International Telecommunication Union, and a Bureau to replace the Bureau of the International Telegraph Union. The Union, which was established in 1865, had been charged, since the Radio Telegraph Conference of Berlin, 1906, with certain responsibilities relative to carrying out the provisions of the radio conventions and regulations.

Except for the administrative conferences held in Cairo in 1938 for the revision of the radio, telegraph and telephone regulations annexed to the Telecommunication Convention, no other general conferences were held until the summer of 1947 when the telecommunication conferences of Atlantic City revised the Telecommunication Convention of Madrid and the radio regulations of Cairo.13 The convention and most provisions of the radio regulations entered into force January 1, 1949, the remainder to become effective on a date to be determined by a special administrative radio conference. The Telegraph and Telephone Regulations of Cairo, 1938, were revised at an administrative conference held in Paris in 1949.

The Atlantic City Convention and the radio regulations provide for a more extensive and elaborate structure and an extension of the functions of the Union. The Union is now in the process of developing an organization and procedures to deal with the modern problems of telecommunications. In particular, it is working through a series of conferences on technical plans for the most effective use of the frequency spectrum in order to accommodate to the greatest possible extent the frequency requirements of all countries.

MEMBERSHIP

The 1947 (Atlantic City) Convention, which replaces the 1932 Convention as between contracting parties, provides for members and associate members. Members are (a) those countries or groups of territories listed in annex A of the convention (indicated below) which sign and ratify, or accede to the Atlantic City Convention; (b) any country which is not listed therein which becomes a member of the United Nations and accedes to the Atlantic City Convention; (c) any other sovereign country which adheres to the convention following the approval of its application for membership by two-thirds of the members of the Union. Associate membership is open to those countries, territories, or groups of territories which do not qualify for full membership, subject to the procedures set forth in article I. Associate members are to have full rights and obligations except the right to vote or to be eligible for election to certain organs of the Union. To date, no countries have applied for associate membership.

13 See Basic Texts and Publications, p. 286.

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The following are included in the list referred to above: Afghanistan; 14 Albania; 14 Argentina; 14 Australia; 14 Austria; 14 Belgium; Belgian Congo and Territories of Ruanda and Urundi; Bolivia; Brazil; 14 Bulgaria; 14 Burma; 14 Byelorussia; 14 Canada; 14 Chile; China; 14 Colombia; 14 Costa Rica; Cuba; 14 Czechoslovakia ; 14 Denmark; 14 Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; 14 El Salvador; Ethiopia; 14 Finland; 14 France; 14 French Protectorates of Morocco and Tunisia; Colonies, Protectorates, et cetera, of France; Greece; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; 1a India; 1a Iran; Iraq; Ireland; 14 Italy; 1 Lebanon; 14 Liberia: 14 Luxembourg; 14 Mexico; Monaco; 11 Netherlands 1 (including Curaçao and Surinam); Netherlands Indies; 11 New Zealand; 14 Nicaragua; Norway; 14 Pakistan; 14 Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; 1* Portugal; 14 Portuguese Colonies; Rumania; 11 Saudi Arabia; 1a Southern Rhodesia; Sweden; 14 Switzerland; 1a Syria; Thailand; 14 Turkey; Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic; 14 Union of South Africa 14 and the mandated territory of Southwest Africa; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 14 United Kingdom; 14 Colonies Protectorates, et cetera, of the United Kingdom; 14 United States; 14 Territories of the United States; 14 Uruguay; Vatican City; 14 Venezuela; Yemen; and Yugoslavia.14

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PURPOSES, POWERS, AND FUNCTIONS

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The purposes of the Union are set forth in article 3 of the Atlantic City Convention as follows:

(a) to maintain and extend international cooperation for the improvement and rational use of telecommunication of all kinds;

(b) to promote the development of technical facilities and their most efficient operation with a view to improving the efficiency of telecommunication services, increasing their usefulness and making them, so far as possible, generally available to the public;

(c) to harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of those common ends.

More particularly the functions of the Union are to:

(a) effect allocation of the radio frequency spectrum and registration of radio frequency assignments in order to avoid harmful interference between radio stations of different countries;

(b) foster collaboration among its members and associate members with a view to the establishment of rates at levels as low as possible

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As of Sept. 15, 1949, had ratified or acceded to the 1947 Convention. In addition, as of that date, Ceylon, Israel, and Japan had acceded to the Convention. The other countries on this list, which have not yet ratified or acceded to the 1947 Convention, are members of the ITU under the 1932 Convention.

consistent with an efficient service and taking into account the necessity for maintaining independent financial administration of telecommunication on a sound basis;

(c) promote the adoption of measures for insuring the safety of life through the cooperation of telecommunication service;

(d) undertake studies, formulate recommendations, and collect and publish information on telecommunication matters for the benefit of all members and associate members.

STRUCTURE

The structure of the Union as modified by the Atlantic City Convention comprises the following bodies:

(1) The Plenipotentiary Conference: normally meets once every 5 years to review the work of the Union as a whole; to establish the basis for the budget; to elect the Administrative Council; and to deal as the supreme organ of the Union with such telecommunication questions as may be necessary.

(2) Administrative Conferences: normally meet at the same time as the Plenipotentiary Conference for the purpose of revising the radio, telegraph and telephone regulations annexed to the convention.

(3) The Administrative Council: composed of 18 members of the Union elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference; meets at least once a year to insure the efficient coordination of the work of the Union, to supervise the administrative functions of the Union, and to perform such other functions as may be delegated to it by the Plenipotentiary Conference.

(4) The General Secretariat: under the direction of the Secretary General who is responsible to the Administrative Council for the performance of his duties which include appointment of staff; preparation of the budget; publication of reports of various organs of the Union; official service documents; statistics and other studies; and publications prescribed in the convention or authorized by an appropriate body of the Union.

(5) The International Frequency Registration Board: consisting of 11 members elected in their personal capacity by the Radio Administrative Conference, its essential functions being (a) to effect an orderly recording of frequency assignments made by the different countries so as to establish the date, purpose, and technical characteristics of each of these assignments with a view to insuring formal international recognition thereof; (b) to furnish advice to members with a view to facilitating the operation of the maximum practicable number of radio channels in those portions of the spectrum where harmful interference may occur.

(6) Three international consultative committees, one each for radio, telegraph, and telephone, for the purpose of studying technical and operating questions and making recommendations thereon.

The Secretary General of the Iru is Franz von Ernst.

FINANCES

Budget. The annual budget of ordinary expenses is prepared by the Secretary General and approved by the Administrative Council within the limits prescribed by the Plenipotentiary Conference. The ordinary expenses are borne by all members and associate members of the Union. In addition there are extraordinary expenses including costs pertaining to plenipotentiary conferences, administrative conferences, and meetings of the international consultative committees. These expenses are borne by the members and associate members who participate in these conferences and meetings.

The Atlantic City Telecommunication Conference adopted a resolution limiting the ordinary expenditures of the Union for the years 1949-52 to 4,000,000 Swiss francs annually. The Administrative Council in 1948 approved a net ordinary budget for the year 1949 totaling 3,887,000 Swiss francs, to be financed by member contributions. Extraordinary expenses for 1949, based on conferences envisaged for that year, were tentatively estimated at 2,747,500 Swiss francs.

Members' Quotas. For the purpose of apportioning expenses, members and associate members are divided into 8 classes, contributing from 1 to 30 units. Each member and associate member informs the Union of the class in which it wishes to be included.

The number of units payable by members for the year 1949 total 750, apportioned as follows:

Afghanistan, (1); Albania, (1); Argentina, (30); Australia, (30); Austria, (1); Belgian Congo and territories of Ruanda-Urundi, (3); Belgium, (10); Bolivia, (3); Brazil, (25); British Colonies, (20); Bulgaria, (3); Burma, (3); Byelorussian S.S.R., (5); Canada, (25); Chile, (3); China, (25); Colombia, (5); Costa Rica, (3); Cuba, (5); Czechoslovakia, (10); Denmark, (10); Dominican Republic, (10); Ecuador, (5); Egypt, (10); El Salvador, (3); Ethiopia, (3); Finland, (5); France, (30); French Colonies, (25); Greece, (5); Guatemala, (3); Haiti, (1); Honduras, (3); Hungary, (1); Iceland, (1); India, (30); Iran, (1); Iraq, (1); Ireland, (5); Italy, (25); Lebanon, (1); Liberia, (3); Luxembourg, (3); Mexico, (10); Monaco, (1); Morocco, (1); Netherlands, Curaçao and Surinam, (10); Netherlands Indies, (10); New Zealand, (5); Nicaragua, (3); Norway, (10); Pakistan, (15); Panama, (3); Paraguay, (3); Peru, (5); Philippines, (5); Poland, (20); Portugal, (15); Portuguese Colonies, (15):