REGULATION AND REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS 248. PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE GENERAL REGULATION AND REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS Resolution of the General Assembly, December 14, 19461 1. In pursuance of Article 11 of the Charter and with a view to strengthening international peace and security in conformity with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECOGNIZES the necessity of an early general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces. 2. Accordingly, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECOMMENDS that the Security Council give prompt consideration to formulating the practical measures, according to their priority, which are essential to provide for the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces and to assure that such regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces will be generally observed by all participants and not unilaterally by only some of the participants. The plans formulated by the Security Council shall be submitted by the Secretary-General to the Members of the United Nations for consideration at a special session of the General Assembly. The treaties or conventions approved by the General Assembly shall be submitted to the signatory States for ratification in accordance with Article 26 of the Charter. 3. As an essential step towards the urgent objective of prohibiting and eliminating from national armaments atomic and all other major weapons adaptable now and in the future to mass destruction, and the early establishment of international control of atomic energy and other modern scientific discoveries and technical developments to ensure their use only for peaceful purposes, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, URGES the expeditious fulfilment by the Atomic Energy Commission of its terms of reference as set forth in Section 5 of the General Assembly Resolution of 24 January 1946. 4. In order to ensure that the general prohibition, regulation and reduction of armaments are directed towards the major weapons of modern warfare and not merely towards the minor weapons, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECOMMENDS that the Security Council expedite consideration of the reports which the Atomic Energy Commission will make to the Security Council and that it facilitate the work of that Commission, and also that the Security Council expedite consideration of a draft convention or conventions for the creation of an international system of control and inspection, these conventions to include the prohibition 1 The United States and the United Nations: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1946, Department of State publication 2735, The United States and the United Nations Report Series 7, pp. 95-97. The wording of this resolution follow's closely that of the draft proposal of the United States delegation on the regulation and reduction of armaments presented to the General Assembly on November 13, 1946. of atomic and all other major weapons adaptable now and in the future to mass destruction and the control of atomic energy to the extent necessary to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes. 5. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, FURTHER RECOGNIZES that essential to the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces is the provision of practical and effective safeguards by way of inspection and other means to protect complying States against the hazards of violations and evasions. Accordingly, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECOMMENDS to the Security Council that it give prompt consideration to the working out of proposals to provide such practical and effective safeguards in connection with the control of atomic energy and the general regulation and reduction of armaments. 6. To ensure the adoption of measures for the early general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces, for the prohibition of the use of atomic energy for military purposes and the elimination from national armaments of atomic and all other major weapons adaptable now or in the future to mass destruction, and for the control of atomic energy to the extent necessary to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes, THERE SHALL BE ESTABLISHED, within the framework of the Security Council, which bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, an international system, as mentioned in paragraph 4, operating through special organs, which organs shall derive their powers and status from the convention or conventions under which they are established. 7. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, regarding the problem of security as closely connected with that of disarmament, RECOMMENDS the Security Council to accelerate as much as possible the placing at its disposal of the armed forces mentioned in Article 43 of the Charter; IT RECOMMENDS the Members to undertake the progressive and balanced withdrawal, taking account of the needs of occupation, of their armed forces stationed in ex-enemy territories, and the withdrawal without delay of armed forces stationed in the territories of Members without their consent freely and publicly expressed in treaties or agreements consistent with the Charter and not contradicting international agreements; IT FURTHER RECOMMENDS a corresponding reduction of national armed forces, and a general progressive and balanced reduction of national armed forces. 8. Nothing herein contained shall alter or limit the resolution of the General Assembly passed on 24 January 1946, creating the Atomic Energy Commission. 9. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, CALLS upon all Members of the United Nations to render every possible assistance to the Security Council and the Atomic Energy Commission in order to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and collective security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources. 249. IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS ON THE PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE GENERAL REGULATION AND REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS AND INFORMATION ON ARMED FORCES Resolution of the Security Council, February 13, 1947 1 1 The Security Council, having accepted the resolution of the General Assembly of 14 December 1946 and recognizing that the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces constitute a most important measure for strengthening international peace and security, and that the implementation of the resolution of the General Assembly on this subject is one of the most urgent and important tasks before the Security Council, Resolves: 1. to work out the practical measures for giving effect to the resolutions of the General Assembly on 14 December 1946 concerning, on the one hand, the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces, and the establishment of international control to bring about the reduction of armaments and armed forces and, on the other hand, information concerning the armed forces of the United Nations; 2. to consider as soon as possible the report submitted by the Atomic Energy Commission and to take suitable decisions in order to facilitate its work; 3. to set up a Commission consisting of representatives of the Members of the Security Council with instructions to prepare and to submit to the Security Council within the space of not more than three months, the proposals: (a) for the general regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces and (b) for practical and effective safeguards in connection with the general regulation and reduction of armaments which the Commission may be in a position to formulate in order to ensure the implementation of the above-mentioned resolutions of the General Assembly of 14 December 1946, insofar as these resolutions relate to armaments within the Commission's jurisdiction. The Commission shall submit a plan of work to the Council for approval. Those matters which fall within the competence of the Atomic Energy Commission as determined by the General Assembly Resolution of 24 January 1946 and 14 December 1946 shall be excluded from the jurisdiction of the Commission hereby established. The title of the Commission shall be the Commission for Conventional Armaments. The Commission shall make such proposals as it may deem advisable concerning the studies which the Military Staff Committee and possibly other organs of the United Nations might be asked to undertake. The United States and the United Nations: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1947, Department of State publication 3024, International Organization and Conference Series III, 1, pp. 250-252 4. to request the Military Staff Committee to submit to it, as soon as possible and as a matter of urgency, the recommendations for which it has been asked by the Security Council on 16 February 1946 in pursuance of Article 43 of the Charter, and as a first step, to submit to the Security Council not later than 30 April 1947, its recommendations with regard to the basic principles which should govern the organization of the United Nations Armed Force. 250. PLAN OF WORK ADOPTED BY THE COMMISSION FOR CONVENTIONAL ARMAMENTS, JULY 8, 19471 1. Consideration of and recommendation to the Security Council concerning armaments and armed forces which fall within the jurisdiction of the Commission for Conventional Armaments. 2. Consideration and determination of general principles in connection with the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces. 3. Consideration of practical and effective safeguards by means of an international system of control operating through special organs (and by other means) to protect complying states against the hazards of violations and evasions. 4. Formulation of practical proposals for the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces. 5. Extension of the principles and proposals set forth in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 above to states which are not Members of the United Nations. 6. Submission of a report or reports to the Security Council including, if possible, a draft convention. It is proposed that under the six headings listed above, all of the references by the various delegations suggested for the Plan of Work will be considered. It is also understood that this Plan of Work does not limit the freedom of individual delegations to make additional suggestions at a later time. 251. UNITED STATES POSITION ON REGULATION OF CONVENTIONAL ARMAMENTS Address by Secretary Marshall, September 17, 1947 (Excerpt)2 The United States also recognizes the importance of regulating conventional armaments. We regret that much more progress has not been made in this field. From this rostrum it is very easy to pay lip service to the sincere aspirations of all peoples for the limitation and reduction of armed forces. This is a serious matter which should not be the subject of demagogic appeals and irresponsible propaganda. I say frankly to the General Assembly that it is the conviction of my Government that a workable system for the regulation of armaments 1 The United States and the United Nations: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1947. Department of State publication 3024, International Organization and Conference Series III, 1, p. 252. The United States and the United Nations: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1947, Department of State publication 3024, International Organization and Conference Series III, 1, p. 265. 98756-50 -73 cannot be put into operation until conditions of international confidence prevail. We have consistently and repeatedly made it clear that the regulation of armaments presupposes enough international understanding to make possible the settlement of peace terms with Germany and Japan, the implementation of agreements putting military forces and facilities at the disposal of the Security Council, and an international arrangement for the control of atomic energy. Nevertheless, we believe it is important not to delay the formulation of a system of arms regulation for implementation when conditions permit. The Security Council has accepted a logical plan of work for the Commission for Conventional Armaments. We believe that the Commission should proceed vigorously to develop a system for the regulation of armaments in the business-like manner outlined in its plan of work. 1 252. FORMULATION OF PROPOSALS FOR REGULATION AND REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS AND ARMED FORCES ! Resolution of the Commission for Conventional Armaments, August 12, 1948 The Commission for Conventional Armaments recommends that the following principles should govern the formulation of practical proposals for the establishment of a system for the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces: 1. A system for the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces should provide for the adherence of all States. Initially it must include at least all States having substantial military resources. 2. A system of regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces can only be put into effect in an atmosphere of international confidence and security. Measures for the regulation and reduction of armaments which would follow the establishment of the necessary degree of confidence might in turn be expected to increase confidence and so justify further measures of regulation and reduction. 5. Examples of conditions essential to such confidence and security are: (a) The establishment of an adequate system of agreements under Article 43 of the Charter. Until the agreed forces are pledged to the Security Council an essential step in establishing a system of collective security will not have been taken. (b) The establishment of international control of atomic energy. It is a basic assumption of the work of the Commission for Conventional Armaments that the Atomic Energy Commission will make specific proposals for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. (c) The conclusion of the peace settlements with Germany and Japan. Conditions of international peace and security will not be fully established until measures have been agreed upon which will prevent these States from undertaking aggressive action in the future. 4. A system for the regulation and reduction of armaments and armed forces, in order to make possible the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources pursuant to U. N. document S/C.3/31, August 15, 1948. Adopted at the thirteenth meeting of the Commission for Conventional Armaments on August 12, 1948. |