UN General Assembly
1965

12. Mr. Ian Smith, Southern Rhodesia's Prime Minister, has tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with Mr. Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister, to be given independence now. But he was told that independence can only be given when the 4 million Africans have been given political freedom to decide their destiny as against the 250,000 white immigrants. Both the large British political parties have endorsed Mr. Wilson's stand. This is of course to their credit. But in the meantime IanSmithhas returned to Southern Rhodesia and promised the white minority independence by Christmas. This is in defiance of the British warning that such an act would be treated as an open rebellion and would involve both the white and the black people in untold suffering and bloodshed. It may also plunge the world into war. When the General Assembly came to vote on the draft resolution calling upon the United Kingdom to do its utmost to prevent a unilateral declaration of independence by Southern Rhodesia, the count was 107 for the motion, 2 against, with 1 abstention. Clearly, the vast majority of the representatives of the world were in favour of the resolution [2012 (XX)].