Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945

Executive Secretariat Files

Briefing Book Paper¹

secret

January 15, 1945.

Principal Substantive Decisions on Which the Security Council Would Have To Vote

Under the voting formula proposed by the President, all of the decisions listed below would require the affirmative votes of 7 members of the Security Council, including the votes of the permanent members. The only exception would be that, in the event that a permanent member is a party to a dispute or a situation before the Council, that member would not cast its vote in decisions listed under “Promotion of Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” (Category III below).

I. Recommendations to the General Assembly on

1. Admission of new members;

2. Suspension of a member;

3. Expulsion of a member;

4. Election of the Secretary General.

II. Restoration of the rights and privileges of a suspended member.

III. Promotion of peaceful settlement of disputes, including the following questions:

1. Whether a dispute or a situation brought to the Council’s attention is of such a nature that its continuation is likely to threaten the peace;

2. Whether the Council should call on the parties to settle or adjust the dispute or situation by means of their own choice;

3. Whether the Council should make a recommendation to the parties as to methods and procedures of settlement;

4. Whether the legal aspects of the matter before it should be referred by the Council for advice to the international court of justice;

5. Whether, if there exists a regional agency for peaceful settlement of local disputes, such an agency should be asked to concern itself with the controversy.

IV. Removal of threats to the peace and suppression of breaches of the peace, including the following questions:

1. Whether failure on the part of the parties to a dispute to settle it by means of their own choice or in accordance with the recommendations of the Security Council in fact constitutes a threat to the peace;

2. Whether any other actions on the part of any country constitute a threat to the peace or a breach of the peace;

3. What measures should be taken by the Council to maintain or restore the peace and the manner in which such measures should be carried out;

4. Whether a regional agency should be authorized to take measures of enforcement.

V. Approval of special agreement or agreements for the provision of armed forces and facilities.

VI. Formulation of plans for a general system of regulation of armaments and submission of such plans to the member states.

VII. Determination of whether the nature and the activities of a regional agency or arrangement for the maintenance of peace and security are consistent with the purposes and principles of the general organization.

1. The copy in the Briefing Book carries the notation: “Copies of this document were given informally to the Soviet and British Ambassadors in Washington shortly after January 15, 1945.” The document was published in Postwar Foreign Policy Preparation, pp. 659–660.