Editorial Note
On September 12, 1952, the Delegations of Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen requested that the question of race conflict in the Union of South Africa, resulting from the policies of apartheid, be placed on the agenda of the Seventh Session of the General Assembly. An explanatory memorandum stated that “the race conflict in the Union of South Africa resulting from the policies of apartheid of the South African Government is creating a dangerous and explosive situation, which constitutes both a threat to international peace and a flagrant violation of the basic principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms which are enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.” The memorandum listed the various legislative measures, adopted by the South African Government, which had the declared objective of securing a permanent white superiority over the nonwhite peoples who constituted a majority of the population. It affirmed that the policy of apartheid challenged what the United Nations stood for and violated specific recommendations adopted by the General Assembly. (UN document A/2183)