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Lessons were learned, however, particularly with respect
to matters of procedure and the futility of attempting
to negotiate with a Soviet-controlled majority. In his
statement on the last day of the proceedings, the
American Delegate, Ambassador Cavendish Cannon, said:
"The Delegates of ten Governments have now sat
around this table, flanked by deputies and experts, for
nearly three weeks. We have made speeches, appointed
committees, and discussed specific articles of a proposed
new treaty. To all outward appearances, we have gone
through the motions of a normal international conference.
"But anybody who has been seated in this hall or
in the gallery knows that this has been a deception.
This has been a unique performance in the history of
international negotiations. I know of no previous
international conference where a majority of the
participants, with cynical solidarity, have refrained
from proposing even minor changes in the text laid before
them for discussion. The document about to be put to the
final vote is the document which the Delegate of the
Soviet Union brought to this Conference to receive its
stamp of approval.
"There has been no negotiation. There has been no
attempt to reconcile differences of technical opinion.
There has been no compromise, even in matters of form.
11
a on our first real working day 000 it was made
brutally clear that there was to be no real discussion
of the problem for which we were brought together. There
was a solid phalanx of seven governments which were already
committed to the adoption of this Soviet text, and already
determined to disregard whatever proposals the Delegations
of the United States, the United Kingdom or France might
present." 1
Another member of the U.S. Delegation wrote:
"The Soviet Union demonstrated by its actions at
Belgrade that 1t was incapable of negotiating in an inter-
national conference in which it had the votes to push
through its own policies. The Soviet majority was wielded
to beat down any opposition. Soviet strategy seemed to be
to drive the
1
Documents and State Papers, November and December 1948,
Po 504. See also Radius, statement cited
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"ocrText": "- 3 =\nLessons were learned, however, particularly with respect\nto matters of procedure and the futility of attempting\nto negotiate with a Soviet-controlled majority. In his\nstatement on the last day of the proceedings, the\nAmerican Delegate, Ambassador Cavendish Cannon, said:\n\"The Delegates of ten Governments have now sat\naround this table, flanked by deputies and experts, for\nnearly three weeks. We have made speeches, appointed\ncommittees, and discussed specific articles of a proposed\nnew treaty. To all outward appearances, we have gone\nthrough the motions of a normal international conference.\n\"But anybody who has been seated in this hall or\nin the gallery knows that this has been a deception.\nThis has been a unique performance in the history of\ninternational negotiations. I know of no previous\ninternational conference where a majority of the\nparticipants, with cynical solidarity, have refrained\nfrom proposing even minor changes in the text laid before\nthem for discussion. The document about to be put to the\nfinal vote is the document which the Delegate of the\nSoviet Union brought to this Conference to receive its\nstamp of approval.\n\"There has been no negotiation. There has been no\nattempt to reconcile differences of technical opinion.\nThere has been no compromise, even in matters of form.\n11\na on our first real working day 000 it was made\nbrutally clear that there was to be no real discussion\nof the problem for which we were brought together. There\nwas a solid phalanx of seven governments which were already\ncommitted to the adoption of this Soviet text, and already\ndetermined to disregard whatever proposals the Delegations\nof the United States, the United Kingdom or France might\npresent.\" 1\nAnother member of the U.S. Delegation wrote:\n\"The Soviet Union demonstrated by its actions at\nBelgrade that 1t was incapable of negotiating in an inter-\nnational conference in which it had the votes to push\nthrough its own policies. The Soviet majority was wielded\nto beat down any opposition. Soviet strategy seemed to be\nto drive the\n1\nDocuments and State Papers, November and December 1948,\nPo 504. See also Radius, statement cited"
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