Editorial Note
On March 30, 1950, the International Court of Justice at The Hague delivered an advisory opinion on the interpretation of the Treaties of Peace with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. By 11 votes in favor to 3 opposed, the Court answered in the affirmative the first two questions referred to it by the United Nations General Assembly, pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 294 (IV) of October 22, 1949, in connection with the alleged violations of human rights in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.
[Page 13]The questions asked were: (1) whether diplomatic exchanges between Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania and certain signatories of the Treaties of Peace with these three countries, disclosed the existence of disputes subject to the treaty provisions for the settlement of disputes and (2) if so, whether Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania were obliged to carry out the relevant treaty provisions, including the appointment of their representatives to the Treaty Commissions mentioned in those same provisions.
The Court postponed consideration of the two other questions in this connection referred to it by the General Assembly on October 22, 1949, until it had been notified by the United Nations Secretary-General that the three governments concerned had failed to notify him that they had appointed representatives to the Treaty Commissions provided for in the Peace Treaties.
For extensive excerpts from the advisory opinion of the Court, including the text of the General Assembly resolution of October 22, 1949, see American Foreign Policy, 1950–1955: Basic Documents, Department of State Publication No. 6446, volume II, pages 2070–2077. Previous documentation on the efforts of the United States to achieve fulfillment of the provisions of the Treaties of Peace with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania is presented in Foreign Relations, 1949, volume v, pages 326 ff., 451 ff., and 521 ff., respectively.