[ 1951 ] Part 1 Chapter 3 Political and Security Questions
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III. Political and Security Questions1 A. DISARMAMENT 1. Regulation, Limitation and Balanced cording to which the size of all armed forces Reduction of All Armed Forces and would be limited, the portion of national produc- All Armaments tion which could be used for military purposes would be restricted, and mutually agreed national The item "Regulation, limitation and balanced military programmes would be arrived at within reduction of all armed forces and all armaments" the prescribed limits and restrictions. The United was placed on the agenda of the sixth session of Nations plan for the international control of the General Assembly at the joint request of atomic energy and the prohibition of atomic France, the United Kingdom and the United weapons should continue to serve as the basis for States (A/1943). The explanatory memorandum the atomic energy aspects of any general pro- accompanying the request referred briefly to the gramme, unless and until a better and more ef- manner in which the problems of the regulation fective plan could be devised. of armaments and the international control of The three Governments considered that discus- atomic energy had been dealt with in the United sion of the programme should begin forthwith, Nations in previous years. It also referred to a but that a general programme could not be put joint statement issued by the Governments of into effect while United Nations forces were re- France, the United Kingdom and the United sisting aggression in Korea. Concurrently with States on 7 November 1951. the coming into effect of the programme, the This statement, a copy of which was attached major political issues dividing the world could to the memorandum, declared the intention of the and must be settled, it was stated. three Governments to submit proposals to the The main elements of the programme were current Assembly session for proceeding with the further described by the United States representa- regulation, limitation and balanced reduction of tive at the 335th plenary meeting of the General all armed forces and all armaments including Assembly on 8 November. atomic weapons. It expressed the determination At the following plenary meeting of the Gen- of the three Powers to continue their efforts to eral Assembly, the representative of the USSR develop their strength for the security of the free submitted alternative proposals (A/1944) under world and their belief that, if all governments the title "Measures to combat the threat of a new sincerely joined in the co-operative and effective world war and to strengthen peace and friendship regulation and limitation of armed forces and among nations"2 which would, among other armaments, it would greatly reduce the danger of things: (1) condemn participation in the "Atlan- war and enhance world security. tic bloc" and the establishment by certain States, It outlined the main elements of the tripartite -and primarily by the United States, of bases in proposal, stating, among other things, that the first foreign territories; (2) deem essential the with- and indispensable step was disclosure and verifica- drawal of troops from Korea and a cease-fire tion. This, it stated, must be on a continuing basis there; (3) call for a five-Power peace pact to and reveal in successive stages all armed forces— which other States might adhere; and (4) provide including para-military, security and police forces for the calling of a world disarmament conference —and all armaments, including atomic. It must before 1 June 1952. also provide for effective international inspection to verify the adequacy and accuracy of the infor- 1 For Security Council's discussions of the Anglo- mation. Iranian Oil Company Case, see under Legal Questions. The three Governments also believed that a 2 For an account of consideration of this item by the First Committee and the Assembly in plenary meeting, workable programme should include criteria ac- see pp. 177-82. 162 Yearbook of the United Nations 2. Report of the Committee of Twelve a. JOINT DRAFT RESOLUTION The joint draft resolution (A/C.1/667) read as On 23 October the Committee of Twelve, es- follows: tablished by resolution 496(V) of 13 December 1950, submitted its report (A/1922). "The General Assembly, "Desiring to lift from the peoples of the world the The Committee, consisting of the members of burden of increasing armaments and the fear of war, the Security Council as of 1 January 1951, to- and to liberate new energies and resources for positive gether with Canada, had been established to con- programmes of reconstruction and development, sider and report to the sixth session of the As- "Believing that the necessary means to this end is the sembly on ways and means whereby the work of development by the United Nations of comprehensive and co-ordinated plans, under international control, for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Com- the regulation, limitation and balanced reduction to mission for Conventional Armaments might be levels adequate for defence but not for aggression of co-ordinated and on the advisability of their func- all armed forces and all armaments, and for the effective tions being merged and placed under a new and international control of atomic energy to ensure the prohibition of atomic weapons and the use of atomic consolidated disarmament commission. energy for peaceful purposes only, The report recommended that the General As- "Recognizing that a genuine system for disarmament sembly should establish a new commission, to be must include all kinds of armed forces and armaments, known as the Commission for the Control of must be accepted by all nations having substantial armed forces, and must include safeguards that will Armaments and Armed Forces, which should be ensure the compliance of all such nations, under and report to the Security Council. This "Noting the report (A/1922) of the Committee of Commission should carry forward the tasks cur- Twelve established by resolution 496 (V), and espe- rently assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission cially its recommendation that the General Assembly and the Commission for Conventional Armaments establish a new commission to carry forward the tasks which, it proposed, should be dissolved. originally assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission and the Commission for Conventional Armaments, "1. Establishes under the Security Council a commis- sion for the regulation, limitation and balanced reduc- 3. Consideration by the first Committee tion of all armed forces and all armaments to be known as the Disarmament Commission. This com- The General Assembly referred the tripartite mission shall have the same membership as the Atomic proposal, the report of the Committee of Twelve Energy Commission and the Commission for Conven- (A/1922) and the USSR proposals to the First tional Armaments, and shall function under the rules of procedure of the Atomic Energy Commission with Committee. such modifications as the Commission shall deem neces- The Committee considered the tripartite pro- sary; posal and the report of the Committee of Twelve "2. Dissolves the Atomic Energy Commission and concurrently at 24 meetings between 19 Novem- recommends to the Security Council that it dissolve the ber and 19 December 1951. The general debate on Commission for Conventional Armaments; "3. Directs the Disarmament Commission to prepare the items took place from the 447th to 460th proposals to be embodied in a draft treaty (or treaties) meetings from 19-30 November. for the regulation, limitation and balanced reduction of The discussion in the Committee was based on all armed forces and all armaments. The Commission shall be guided by the following principles: a joint draft resolution (A/C.1/667) submitted (a) It is a primary objective of the United Nations by France, the United Kingdom and the United to bring about the limitation and balanced reduction States, and on USSR amendments (A/C.1/668) of all armed forces and all armaments to levels adequate to the joint draft. for defence but not for aggression and to achieve effective international control to ensure the prohibition An Indian draft resolution (A/C.1/669) rec- of atomic weapons; ommended the establishment of a United Na- (b) In a system of guaranteed disarmament there tions Fund for Reconstruction and Development must be progressive disclosure and verification on a con- and, further, that each Member send to the tinuing basis of all armed forces—including para- military, security and police forces—and all armaments, Secretary-General before 31 March 1952 a scheme including atomic; setting forth the principles and the scale on which (c) Such verification must be based on effective it would be prepared progressively to reduce its international inspection to ensure the adequacy and armaments and to contribute to the fund. The accuracy of the information disclosed; (d) In formulating the proposals for the draft draft resolution was later withdrawn, since a treaty (or treaties) referred to above, while not pre- similar resolution with wider provisions had been 3 adopted in the Second Committee. 3 See pp. 387-91. Political and Security Questions 163 judging any other plan that may be put forward, the national control over the enforcement of this prohibition United Nations plan for the international control of and also the reduction by one-third of the other types atomic energy and the prohibition of atomic weapons of armaments and armed forces of the five Powers: the should continue to serve as the basis for the control of United