890.0146/9–1146
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Dependent Area Affairs (Gerig) to the Department of State Member on the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee (Hilldring)
[Washington,] September 11, 1946.
Subject: Comment on SWNCC 59/4
- (1)
- Agreement on all Articles except Article 8 was reached by State, War, and Navy members of the ad hoc Committee.
- (2)
- The present draft containing 16 Articles represents a combination of the State draft of August 8 containing 27 Articles, and of the Navy (JCS) counter draft of August 24 containing 9 Articles.
- (3)
- Nothing essential from the original State draft is omitted in the present draft. It was possible by condensation, combination, and abridgement to arrive at the present text. All the essential features of the Navy Department draft are also retained.
- (4)
- Disagreement by the ad hoc Committee remains on only Article 8 where the text is presented in parallel columns. State’s representatives consider that “national” treatment is required under Article 83(2) and Article 76 of the Charter, while Navy’s representatives consider that “most-favored-nation” treatment would be safer and also legitimate in these circumstances. The War Department representative on the ad hoc Committee did not express himself finally either way.
- (5)
- The distinguishing features of this draft are:
- (a)
- It designates the whole area as strategic (Art. 1);
- (b)
- It specifies that the goal shall be self-government instead of independence, thus announcing in advance that independence is no objective (Art. 6);
- (c)
- It provides, however, for full use of the Trusteeship Council as regards economic and social matters outside of any closed areas (Art. 13);
- (d)
- It restricts any possible fiscal, administrative or customs union to a union “with other territories under United States jurisdiction” instead of with “adjacent” territories, as was proposed in the original State draft (Art. 9); and
- (e)
- It provides that the agreement cannot be “terminated” without the consent of the United States (Art. 15).
- (6)
- Captain Dennison and Colonel Giffen showed a very great desire to meet State’s representatives on every possible point and the compromise was arrived at in the ad hoc Committee very congenially.