The Pittsburgh Press (January 12, 1946)
UNO elects members of security body
Russia rebuffed move to delay vote
LONDON (UP) – The United Nations Assembly today completed its 11-member Security Council by naming Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, Poland, Holland and Australia to serve with the Big Five.
The election of the six nations was completed after a Russian effort to delay the proceedings was voted down. The first five non-permanent seats were filled quickly. But the selection of Australia and not come until Canada voluntarily relinquished her candidacy.
The delegates took three ballots in an effort to decide between Canada and Australia. But when the third ballot showed neither had the required two-thirds, Canada withdrew. The vote on the third ballot was Australia 27, Canada 23. This was the same as the vote on the second ballot.
Byrnes opposes move
The voting on the Security Council membership followed a flurry of dissension in which the Soviet Union asked that the election be postponed. After hearing Secretary of State James F. Byrnes vigorously oppose the proposal, the Assembly voted it down, 34-9.
Andrei Gromyko, acting head of the Soviet delegation, asked for the delay until next week to permit consultation with Moscow. Mr. Brynes chided him for seeking to put off the election on an issue on which the voting schedule was known long in advance.
The British delegation supported Mr. Brynes. New Zealand and Czechoslovakia sided with Russia.
Sees precedent
With 34 votes needed for election, the first ballot gave Brazil 47, Egypt 45, Mexico 45, Poland 39, and Holland 37. Canada, with 33 votes, was one short of the two-thirds majority. Australia got 28 votes. There were 50 valid ballots, one being declared invalid.
On the second ballot, Australia got 27 votes and Canada 23. One ballot again was ruled invalid.
Mr. Byrnes said the Soviet request for postponement wasn’t a matter of “convenience or inconvenience” to Russia. He said if such a postponement were granted Russia, it would set a precedent which would cripple the Assembly’s future work.
The dispute arose last night in a private meeting of Big Five representatives. The Russians objected to some parts of the “American slate” of countries to be named to the 11-nation Security Council and the 18-nation Economic and Social Council. Five of the Security Council seats belong to the Big Five.
Objects to two
At a meeting this morning, the American delegation decided against supporting the Russian request for a delay in the election.
Gromyko objected to the American proposal that two Latin-American nations – Brazil and Mexico – should get Security Council seats. The American slate also included Canada, the Netherlands, Poland and Egypt.
The Russians preferred Norway to the Netherlands. They also objected to giving Latin-American nations four of the 18 seats in the Economic and Social Council.
The American slate for the Economic and Social Council included China, France, Chile, Peru, Belgium, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the Soviet Ukraine, India, Cuba, Norway, the United States, Czechoslovakia, Colombia, Canada, the Netherlands and Iraq.