Founding the United Nations: Principles and Objects

Abstract

On 23 August 1945 the House of Commons ratified the Charter of the United Nations without a division, and the United Kingdom deposited its instrument of ratification on 20 October. In recognition of the important role Britain had played in the creation of the United Nations, the first meeting of the General Assembly was held in London. I was designated Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission, which laid the foundations for the General Assembly. The Commission succeeded in getting agreement on the various committees of the Assembly and on the rules of procedure for these committees and for the Assembly as a whole. I also recruited the first members of the Secretariat to serve the Organisation, which eventually went to New York with the new Secretary-General, Trygve Lie, although I acted as Secretary-General until his election.

I gratefully acknowledge Thomas Fisher’s assistance with this chapter. I should add that a few passages follow my Memoirs (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1972) closely; I saw no reason to vary these passages, which are so pertinent to the argument of this chapter.