UN General Assembly
1947

Sir Carl Berendsen, our distinguished New Zealand colleague, pointed out a short while ago how the veto might operate when he referred to the possibility of a representative of the “Big Five” being detained at a party, at his hotel or on the golf course. Nor should we forget — and this is much more important — the futile conflict which would inevitably arise if a State affected by an illegal decision of the Security Council refused to obey it We must avoid anything which might undermine the prestige of the United Nations, and nothing can undermine it more than the adoption of capricious resolutions in violation of the Charter. The veto is often referred to as the unanimity rule. The name is resonant and expressive, but far horn concealing the drawbacks of the veto, it makes them more obvious. In passing, I might point out that the unanimity in question is the unanimity of five members out of eleven, which is a unanimity sui generis.