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IO Files: US/A/521

United States Delegation Working Paper

secret
[New York,] September 30, 1947.

Status of Slates for Council Elections1

i. security council balloting at plenary sessions, tuesday september 30

1. Argentina and Canada were elected on the first ballot, receiving 41 votes each, the two-thirds majority required for election being 38 with 57 ballots cast.

2. On this ballot the Ukraine received 33 votes; India, 29; Czechoslovakia, 8; Uruguay, 8; Ethiopia, 1; Greece, 1; Guatemala, 1; Philippine Republic, 1. Under the rules, voting then proceeded on the [Page 146] Ukraine and India for the one remaining position. Six further ballots as follows were taken before a vote adjourning the further balloting until Wednesday morning:

Second ballot Fifth ballot
Ukraine 29 Ukraine 33
India 24 India 23
Third ballot Sixth ballot
Ukraine 29 Ukraine 34
India 25 India 22
Fourth ballot Seventh ballot
Ukraine 30 Ukraine 33
India 25 India 23

3. The United States slate for this election was Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Argentina, with the understanding that our vote would be switched to India if Czechoslovakia dropped out. The United States vote was cast for India on all ballots following the first one. The fact of our support for India was given in response to all queries concerning our position after the first ballot.

ii. extract from agenda memorandum for the united states delegation on items arising at the plenary sessions on tuesday, september 30

4. “Election of Three Non-Permanent Members of the Security Council. The election is by secret ballot, with a two-thirds majority required. There are no nominations. The United States will vote for Argentina, Canada and Czechoslovakia. If Czechoslovakia is eliminated from the ballot through failure to gain a sufficient number of votes, or if it appears that it is impossible for Czechoslovakia to gain a seat, the United States will shift its support to India at the appropriate time.”

5. “Election of Six Members of the Economic and Social Council. The method of voting is the same as that used for the Security Council. The United States slate consists of Brazil, Denmark, Iran, Poland, U.S.S.R., and United Kingdom. If any vacancy should develop on our list, either through voluntary withdrawal of one of our candidates or its elimination in the course of the balloting, Australia would be the first state to which we would shift our support.

note: Other alternative candidates, if more than one of the states on our slate is not elected, will depend on the outcome of the Security Council election and of the first ballot on the Economic and Social Council. Selection would be made from India, Czechoslovakia and Siamif they are in the running.”

6. “Election of Two Members of the Trusteeship Council. The election is held in the same manner as that for the Security Council and for the Economic and Social Council. Our candidates are Norway and the Philippines.”

[Page 147]

iii. united states slates for the security council, economic and social council and trusteeship council

Security Council

  • Elected on first ballot, September 30
    • Argentina
    • Canada
  • Eligible Candidates
    • Ukraine
    • India

Economic and Social Council2

  • Brazil
  • Denmark
  • Iran
  • Poland
  • U.S.S.R.
  • U.K.

(Australia, contingent upon the development of a vacancy in the slate)

Trusteeship Council3

  • Philippines
  • Norway
  1. For the proceedings of the General Assembly in the elections to Councils on September 30, see GA (II), Plenary, vol. i, pp. 320 ff.↩
  2. In balloting on October 1, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Soviet Union, and Poland were elected to the Economic and Social Council; see Ibid., pp. 329 ff.↩
  3. The General Assembly balloted on the election of additional members to the Trusteeship Council on October 1, with no result; see Ibid., pp. 334 and 335.↩