UN General Assembly
1962

133. For the seats on the Security Council, the gentlemen's agreement grouped the Members of the United Nations into the following: the British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and America. That was in 1946. At that time there were only two States of Africa geographically below Senegal that were members of the League of Nations and that became founding Members of the United Nations, namely Liberia and Ethiopia. Since 1946 these two African States have never occupied this seat for the Middle East and Africa group. These facts were published in The New York Times in connexion with the candidature of Nigeria. 134. Now, at first Nigeria wanted to contest the election on these broad principles, challenging the gentlemen's agreement. But the African States decided to contest the election on the basis of the gentlemen's agreement, and they came together and selected Nigeria to contest the election on their behalf. Ethiopia and Mauritania withdrew in order to make that possible.