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and the General Assembly informed of their progress. This draft resolution recommended that all nations, in the exercise of their rights of sovereignty, should join in mutual agreement to limit the individual exercise of those rights in the control of atomic energy to the extent required, in the light of the considerations set forth in the draft resolution, for the promotion of world security and peace, and further recommended that all nations should agree to exercise such rights jointly. (b) A Soviet draft resolution which, after placing the blame for the failure of the Atomic Energy Commission upon the United States and the United Kingdom, instructed the Atomic Energy Commission to resume its work to give effect to the General Assembly's resolutions of 24 January and 14 December, 1946, and forthwith proceed to the preparation of a draft convention for the prohibition of atomic weapons and a draft convention for the control of atomic energy, it being understood that both conventions should be concluded and put into effect simultaneously. The Franco-Canadian draft resolution was adopted by the Committee by a vote of 48 (N.Z.) to 5 with 3 abstentions. All parts of the Soviet draft were rejected by substantial majorities, the vote on the operative part being 6to 43 (N.Z.) with 9 abstentions. Of the other proposals, two were rejected and one withdrawn. When the report of the ad hoc Committee came before the General Assembly the arguments adduced in the Committee were repeated. The Committee's resolution (summarized above) was adopted by 49 (N.Z.) to 5 with 3 abstentions. The Soviet resolution, which had been resubmitted, was again voted on in parts and defeated, New Zealand voting against all sections of the proposal. 7. Prohibition of the Atomic Weapon and Reduction by One-third of the Armaments and Armed Forces of the Permanent Members of the Security Council This question, which, taking a long-term view, is perhaps second only in importance to the problem of the international control of atomic energy, was again discussed by the ad hoc Committee, but with little positive result.* Under a General Assembly resolution of 19 November, 1948, the Security Council had been asked to pursue the study of the regulation and reduction of conventional armaments and armed forces through the agency of the Commission for Conventional Armaments. The Commission adopted French proposals for checking information received from Governments concerning their armaments and armed forces, but

* For the origin of this agenda item, and discussion at the third session of the Assembly, see External Affairs Publication No. 75 at p. 18.