Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–3, Documents on Global Issues, 1973–1976

9. National Security Decision Memorandum 240¹ ²

Washington, December 3, 1973

TO:

• The Secretary of State
• The Secretary of Defense
• The Secretary of the Treasury
• The Secretary of Commerce
• The Secretary of the Interior
• The Chairman, NSC Under Secretaries Committee

Subject:

• Organizational Session of U.N. Law of the Sea Conference

Under cover of memorandum of November 1, the Chairman, NSC Under Secretaries Committee forwarded for the President’s consideration recommended instructions for the U.S. Delegation to the organizational session of the U.N. Law of the Sea Conference.

Having taken the proposed instructions into account together with subsequent U.N. developments relating to the conference, the President has directed that the U.S. Delegation should have as its objective adoption of rules and procedures by the organizational session which will promote a timely and successful law of the sea conference accommodating the United States’ oceans policy interests. The Delegation is to ensure that the voting arrangements adopted by the organizational session will permit the conference to proceed in a manner best suited to the attainment of U.S. interests, guarding in particular against arrangements allowing for premature substantive voting which might be harmful to those interests.

In keeping with the directives of NSDM 225, the Chairman, NSC Under Secretaries Committee is requested to forward recommended instructions for the U.S. Delegation to the June-August 1974 session of the Law of the Sea Conference no later than March 30, 1974 for consideration by the President.

Henry A. Kissinger

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 364, Subject Files, NSDM, Nos. 145–264 (1972–1974). Secret. Copies were sent to the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs. The Under Secretaries Committee Chairman’s memorandum of November 11 is published as Document 7. NSDM 225 is published as Document 5.
2. Kissinger transmitted the approval of instructions for the guidance of the U.S. delegation to the organizational session of UNCLOS III, with a proviso to avoid procedures allowing premature substantive voting.