The Pittsburgh Press (July 19, 1946)
Background of news –
New members of the U.N.
By Bertram Benedict
A special committee of the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet next week to consider applications for membership in the United Nations by countries that are not now members.
This memberships committee is composed of one member from each of the 11 states represented on the Security Council.
At the Council’s meeting on May 23, it adopted a resolution, presented by the United States, whereby applications for membership are passed upon by a membership committee. The committee is to report its findings to the Council at least 35 days before the Assembly convenes in regular session.
Membership applications already have been received from four countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Mongolian People’s Republic and Trans-Jordan. Mongolia and probably Albania are under Soviet influence. Afghanistan is under British influence. The foreign orientation of Trans-Jordan, an Arab state, is not clear.
Last March, Great Britain, which had held a League of Nations mandate over the territory, signed a treaty with its representatives whereby Trans-Jordan became an independent state.
Others may want to join
Other states believed to be on the point of submitting membership applications are Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Siam. If all these eight should be admitted, Switzerland, Spain (which is barred), Portugal and Eire would be the only important nations, apart from the former Axis states, outside of the U.N.
Austria, another non-member, is considered an Axis-overrun rather than an Axis-satellite state, but is occupied by foreign troops.
The original members of the United Nations were the 51 nations that had declared war on the Axis powers and had signed the U.N. Charter at San Francisco (Poland was the only United Nation not represented at San Francisco). No new members have been admitted.
The charter prescribes that membership is open to other “peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present charter and, in the judgment of the organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.”
New members must be recommended to the Assembly by the Security Council, with the veto power of the five permanent members effective. Election by the Assembly is by a two-thirds vote.
Similar to League setup
These membership provisions of the U.N. are not unlike those of the League of Nations. The League Covenant provided that the original members of the League were to be the states which, as belligerents against Germany, signed the Treaty of Versailles (of which the Covenant was the first article), and also other states which were invited to join as original members.
Of the 32 states that signed the treaty, the United States refused to ratify and hence never joined the League. Thirteen other states were invited to become original members, including The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. All accepted the invitation, so that the League had 44 states as original members.
New members were to be elected by a two-third vote of the Assembly.
Eighteen other states later joined, including Germany and the Soviet Union.