The Council took up the report of the Drafting Committee at its twelfth meeting, on June 11, 1946. The representative of Canada spoke on the necessity of establishing a strong Interim Commission; the United Kingdom repeated its views on the method of establishing the organization and called attention to the fact that the recommendation of the Technical Preparatory Committee to the effect that the health functions of the League of Nations should be carried on by the Interim Commission had not been incorporated in the report of the Drafting Committee. There was further discussion of this latter point, following which the President announced as the sentiment of the Council that these functions should be carried on by the Department of Social Affairs of the Secretariat of the United Nations, which should act as Secretariat of the Interim Commission. The resolution of the Drafting Committee was then adopted, and the President stated that the recommendations made in the general discussion would also be communicated to the International Health Conference.

This resolution as adopted by the Council endorsed the extension of invitations to the Governments, authorities and international organizations listed above and approved the recommendation of the Technical Preparatory Committee that, in the event of the Health Organization not being established upon the conclusion of the June Conference, an Interim Commission should be established. The resolution also recommended that, until such time as the Health Organization came into existence, the Department of Social Affairs of the United Nations should act as the Secretariat of this Commission and should carry on the present activities of the League of Nations health organization. The resolution also approved the recommendation of the Technical Preparatory Committee regarding the absorption of the Office International d'Hygiène Publique and the assumption in due course by the Organization, or the Interim Commission, of the functions and duties assigned to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration by the International Sanitary Convention of 1944. Lastly, the resolution transmitted to the International Health Conference a list of recommendations, suggestions and observations made by Members of the Council during its session.

Reflecting the pressing urgency of the world health situation, the International Health Conference was convened in New York on June 19, 1946.

III. Refugees and Displaced Persons

As the members of the Economic and Social Council met in London for the first time, the tragedy of two million homeless and wandering persons on the continent of Europe claimed their immediate attention. Uprooted families, children without parents or homeland, weak and sick humans left by the receding tide of war, they all called for urgent efforts to alleviate their sufferings and to find them homes.

Immediate solutions were not possible; well thought out organization and procedures had first to be developed in order to avoid inequities and injustice. And such a sound structure took time to build.

In spite of almost insurmountable difficulties, the United Nations have made good progress toward the creation of an International Refugee Organization to assume the responsibility for the care of refugees and displaced persons now carried by the occupying military authorities and by UNRRA. Work was steadily pressed forward with the utmost urgency in the General Assembly of the United Nations which met in London in January and February, 1946, in the Special Committee on Refugees and Displaced Persons, established, by the Economic and Social Council pursuant to the resolution of the General Assembly, which met one month later, also in London, and in the Second Session of the Economic and Social Council.

Only the financial arrangements of the proposed new organization remain to be worked out by a Committee on Finances established by the Economic and Social Council in June. The report of this Committee, meeting in London, will complete the proposals for an International Refugee Organization which will be submitted to the General Assembly at its next session in a form suitable for signature and acceptance by governments.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Acting on the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on February 12, 1946, the Economic and Social Council adopted at its First Session, on February 16, a resolution establishing a Special Committee on Refugees and Displaced Persons, with instructions to carry out a thorough examination of the problems of refugees and displaced persons of all categories and to make a report to the Council at its Second Session. This Committee met in London on April 8 for eight weeks.

With respect to the definitions of refugees and displaced persons who are to become the concern of the International Refugee Organization, there was evident throughout the proceedings of the Committee in London substantial difference of opinion between the majority, which favored broad and inclusive definitions, and the minority, consisting largely of the countries of origin of displaced persons, which favored restrictive definitions. The minority group of the Committee also endeavored to have the Special Committee in London send subcommissions of inquiry to the field to report on progress in the apprehension and delivery of war criminals, quislings, and traitors. The position of the majority of the Special Committee was that, under the terms of the resolution passed by the General Assembly in February 1946, no action was to be taken which would interfere in any way with the work of other authorities in the apprehension and punishment of such persons, and that consequently such inquiries were outside. the Committee's terms of reference.

Repatriation and Resettlement

The countries of origin laid particular stress upon the importance of repatriation. The majority, while recognizing the desirability of facilitating repatriation of those willing to return, emphasized the necessity of equipping the proposed organization to deal with the problem of resettling hundreds of thousands of refugees, displaced persons and "non-repatriables."

Other Problems

Other differences which it proved impossible to resolve at the London meeting centered on methods of providing information concerning conditions in the countries of origin to displaced persons apparently unwilling to return home, the eligibility for care of displaced persons who had left their countries of origin after the cessation of hostilities, and proposals by the minority members of the Committee that those repatriated be assisted after return to their home countries.

CONSTITUTION OF PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGANIZATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH UNITED

NATIONS

With respect to the draft suggestions for a constitution, differences of opinion as to the relationship of the proposed body to the United Nations were fully explored. The United States representative took the lead in insisting that the new body should be a specialized agency. He argued that the difference in interest in the problem which existed among Members of the United Nations, as well as the great interest in the problem exhibited by certain states not Members of the United

Organization made it desirable for this problem to be handled by an agency established for the particular purpose, rather than by the United Nations itself. But the specialized agency thus contemplated should, of course, be related to the United Nations in accordance with Articles 57 and 63 of the Charter and so derive from its association with the central body the advantages of review and comment which annual debate in the General Assembly or more frequent discussion in the Economic and Social Council might direct toward its activities. Other governments-among which the United Kingdom was included-took the position that some effective control of the proposed agency should be lodged in the United Nations. Failing in their initial objective to have the functions contemplated for the new body actually brought within the framework of the United Nations proper, they endeavored to introduce a variety of constitutional provisions by which the specialized agency would be more closely governed by the United Nations than would be possible under the probable terms of a relationship agreement. In particular, they sought to have accepted the stipulation that the administrative budget of the new Organization be approved by the Economic and Social Council, rather than simply reviewed and commented upon by the General Assembly.

Issues of internal organization also arose, centering primarily on the relationship between the Executive Committee and the DirectorGeneral of the proposed agency. Draft suggestions by the countries of origin specifically provided, for example, that the Executive Committee should issue directives on policy to the Director-General and should exercise control over his activities, that the Executive Committee should be so organized as to be able to function continuously, and that it should, in order to investigate the situation in the field, establish commissions, including representatives of the countries of origin concerned, to visit refugee centers and should give instructions to the Director-General based on such investigations. To all these provisions, the United States representative was opposed.

The draft suggestions for a constitution were admittedly incomplete. The financial provisions, which in this field represented a particularly important aspect of the question, were sketched only in broad terms and no consideration had been given to figures because of lack of time. Certain legal and technical clauses, necessary to any constitution, were also omitted from the draft for later completion.

Committee Consideration

COUNCIL ACTION

Indicative of the urgency with which governments regarded the problem was the fact that one step had succeeded another since January with only a few days intervening between them. The Report

presented to the Council for its consideration in New York on June 13. After one meeting of the Council, which was given over to general observations, the Council resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole for the consideration of the report.

Discussion in the Committee recapitulated many of the issues which had divided the countries of origin from the majority in London. Proposals which had been made in London were now advanced again and carefully reconsidered. The presence in the Council of representatives of five countries (Chile, Cuba, Greece, India, Norway) that had not been members of the Special Committee in London provided grounds for not projecting the results of the earlier discussion into Plenary Council Session without full discussion.

The countries of origin pressed again, for example, their proposal to delete a paragraph which, in the view of the United States, constitutes one of the most important provisions of the Report, giving the International Refugee Organization authority to care for political dissidents resident outside their countries of origin during World War II who are unwilling to return thereto because they cannot accept the regimes in power in those countries. The countries of origin also brought up once more their proposed amendment relating to the furnishing to refugees and displaced persons of information concerning the situations in their home countries. These amendments, however, together with others similarly intended to restrict the authority of the new Organization, failed of adoption by the Committee of the Whole and by the Council.

Constitution of Proposed Organization

Executive Responsibilities. To the suggestions for a draft constitution of the proposed International Refugee Organization, the United States Delegation to the Economic and Social Council devoted much study and discussion. The Delegation believed that three aspects of the draft suggestions required serious consideration by the Council. First, a number of clauses seemed unnecessarily to confuse the responsibilities of the Organization's General Council, Executive Committee and Director-General. Second, the financial article, of great importance to the United States, did not seem to represent a clear statement of obligations under proper safeguards. Third, in order to be complete as a constitution, the draft suggestions required the addition of articles on such matters as the legal status of the Organization, the international character of its Secretariat, its relations with other organizations, and entry into force. The United States Delegation, therefore, circulated on June 15, in order that ample opportunity might be given for its examination by other Delegations, a paper of proposals designed to meet these various points.