13

both had threatened to proclaim separate states on 15th May, and there would inevitably be administrative chaos and destruction of assets and public property. The mandatory Power was doing its utmost to transfer responsibility for important economic and social services to local authorities, but not all governmental functions could be decentralized. He did not suggest that a new central regime could be completely set up by 15th May to run the essential services and enforce order, but he asked the Committee to consider the possibility of a central, neutral authority to act on behalf of the United Nations, to further the cause of mediation, and to take over certain assets. This proposal was warmly welcomed by the Canadian delegate, General McNaughton, who said that the Committee should concentrate now only on the immediate issues, particularly measures to help the parties to reach a truce. This view was supported by the representatives of Greece and Bolivia ; and opposed by Mr. Gromyko, Soviet Union, who said that the United Kingdom proposals still meant the rejection of partition and would be unacceptable to the Jews and to those States favouring partition. The only way out was, he said, the implementation of partition. After a prolonged procedural discussion terminated by the application of the closure, a sub-committee was appointed on the basis of a Cuban amendment to the long-standing Guatemalan proposal mentioned previously. The sub-committee, comprising the officers of the First Committee (Chairman, China; Vice-Chairman, Poland; Rapporteur, Norway) and representatives of Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, France, India, the U.S.S.R., and the United States, was instructed to formulate and report to the Committee a proposal for the provisional regime for Palestine " in the light of the situation in Palestine and of the work of the Security Council and the Trusteeship Council, and taking into account all suggestions made in the course of the Committee's debate." The sub-committee was also empowered to consult representatives of the Palestine Commission, the mandatory Power, the Arab Higher Committee, and the Jewish Agency. The sub-committee began its work in secret session on sth May and reported back to the First Committee during the evening of 13th May, less than twenty-four hours before the mandate officially terminated. The Rapporteur's report indicated that France, Norway and Poland had presented working papers and proposals, but the following resolution, which was finally adopted against the opposition only of the representatives of the Soviet Union and Poland, was originally a United States proposal (Document A/C/l/299) :