92. Editorial Note
The Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly took up the question of the scale of financial assessments and contributions for the apportionment of United Nations expenses early in October 1957. The majority of members on the Fifth Committee accepted the United States proposal for a reduction in United States contributions on the understanding that such a reduction would be progressively achieved and would be contingent upon the admission of still other members to the United Nations or on the increase in national income of current members. The United States proposal, as amended in the course of the discussion, was adopted by the Fifth Committee by a vote of 43 to 17 with 17 abstentions, [Page 245] and later at a plenary meeting of the General Assembly on October 14, by a vote of 39 to 16 with 13 abstentions. According to draft Minutes of the Ninth Meeting of the Delegation to the General Assembly held at Mission Headquarters on the morning of October 10, Lodge began by congratulating Representative Carnahan and his associates on the United States Delegation to the Fifth Committee “for succeeding in having lowered the rate of assessments. Mr. Lodge said that last year no headway had been made but that this year in the Fifth Committee the vote was 43-17 in favor of lowering our contribution to 30%.” Carnahan replied “that it had been an interesting procedure checking with the Russians as to how they would vote on the question. The Russians had agreed to deliver their vote ‘en bloc’ but Mr. Carnahan said that we also had to give a great deal of attention to the votes of the smaller countries.” (USUN Files, US/A/M(SR)/66–US/A/M(SR)/132)
As a result of the decision in principle to reduce the assessment of the largest contributor to no more than 30 percent over an unspecified number of years, the Committee on Contributions determined to reduce the United States assessment for 1958 to 32.51 percent. The scale of assessment submitted by this Committee to the Fifth Committee was approved unanimously on December 14, by both the Fifth Committee and, subsequently, the General Assembly.