Preparatory Commission Opens; Agenda Includes Appointment of U.N. Secretary‑General

Speaker 1, a delegate to the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations, opened the session by urging collective action: "If civilization is to survive, we must find the means of working together towards common ends." He added: "There is no place for national selfishness any more than there is any reality in national self sufficiency."

Speaker 2 declared the meeting open: "I declare open the proceedings of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations," and said the commission "was set up by the San Francisco Conference to make the necessary plans for the first meetings of the institutions of the United Nations." He noted the body’s breadth: "Among us, we represent more than 50 nations."

The first substantive item identified on the session's agenda was item 74, the appointment of the secretary general of the United Nations, introduced by Speaker 1 as "the first matter before the assembly this afternoon with item 74 of our agenda, the appointment of the secretary general of the United Nations." The transcript records the item’s placement on the agenda but does not record a motion, vote, or formal outcome.

Speaker 3 addressed expectations for the office, saying the role would be "supremely difficult and exacting" and that the Secretary‑General "will not please all of us all the time." He spoke directly in support of the named appointee, saying "Mister Hamashogg will bend his great intelligence and his admirable character to a task of perfecting a machine which will be which will be of the service of all of us in our joint efforts to arrive at lasting peace." He concluded by asking the assembly to join him in "wishing the very best of luck to our new secretary general."

The transcript records opening remarks, expressions of support and the introduction of agenda item 74 but does not include a recorded vote or procedural motion on the appointment. The commission’s next steps on the item are not specified in the provided excerpt.