A—2a

" Resolved " 1. That the Director General is hereby authorized and requested to make arrangements with the Secretary General of the United Nations for the interchange of information and reports with the United Nations including the General Assembly, the Economic and, Social Council and with the specialized agencies. " 2. That the Director General is authorized and requested to furnish to the United, Nations reports on the work of the Administration and the progress made towards economic rehabilitation in the countries assisted by the Administration. "3. That the Council recommends that all member governments and the governments of non-member countries being assisted by the Administration extend their full cooperation in the furnishing of such reports and information as may be required for these purposes." It will no doubt be appropriate here to record the activities in Atlantic City of the United Nations Committee on UNRRA, which it will be remembered was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in February last, consisting of representatives of the following countries: Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, USSR, United Kingdom, and United States of America. This Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Sol Bloom (United States), held several meetings ■during the currency of the UNRRA Conference, for the most part to discuss a difference of opinion amongst members of this Committee as to whether the Committee should confine itself to the primary functions contemplated by the Assembly—namely, to endeavour to facilitate the payment of contributions to UNRRA and to urge upon members of the United Nations who are not yet members of UNRRA to join that organization—or whether the Committee should assume a wider function and act as a continuing bridge between UNRRA and the United Nations with a view to facilitating, and at the appropriate time accomplishing, the transfer to the United Nations of some or all of the functions of UNRRA. The Committee rapidly disposed of the first two questions, authorizing its Chairman to communicate, in each case, with the countries concerned; though it was obviously not without surprise that some members of the Committee found that the Assembly's resolution required them to extend an invitation to join UNRRA to the Argentine Republic. Accordingly, the Hon. Sol. Bloom is, in co-operation with the Administration of UNRRA, taking up with the nations concerned the question of contributions in arrears, and has also on behalf of the Committee extended an invitation to join UNRRA to the four members of the United Nations who are not already members—namely, Syria, the Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina. On the second question, whether the Committee should assume wider and ■continuous liaison between UNRRA and the United Nations, the Soviet representative took a firm stand, not unwarranted by the text of the Assembly's resolution, that the Committee was limited to the two specific functions outlined above and that it had no authority to assume any other functions. It was the common opinion of all the other members of the Committee, however, that, whether explicitly authorized or not, the assumption of these functions would serve a useful purpose, and a paragraph to that effect, strengthened by an amendment proposed by the New Zealand representative, was passed without dissent, the Soviet representative abstaining from voting. For this purpose, the Committee will continue to meet in Washington from time to time as occasion requires.

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