Dumbarton Oaks Conference

Timeline

7 October 1944
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference was held from 21 August to at the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
9 October 1944
The proposals were published on , debated publicly for several months, and served as the working draft at the United Nations Conference on International Orga…
26 June 1945
The proposals were published on 9 October 1944, debated publicly for several months, and served as the working draft at the United Nations Conference on Inte…

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In August 1944, US Under Secretary of State Edward Stettinius opened the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, where American, British, and Soviet delegates began drafting what would become the United Nations Charter.

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Timeline

7 October 1944

The Dumbarton Oaks Conference was held from 21 August to at the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

9 October 1944

The proposals were published on , debated publicly for several months, and served as the working draft at the United Nations Conference on International Orga…

26 June 1945

The proposals were published on 9 October 1944, debated publicly for several months, and served as the working draft at the United Nations Conference on Inte…

Research it like a delegate

The Dumbarton Oaks Conference was held from 21 August to 7 October 1944 at the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. It brought together delegations from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China to negotiate the structural outline of a postwar international organization to succeed the League of Nations.

Because the Soviet Union was not yet at war with Japan and Moscow refused to sit at the same table as the Chinese delegation, the conference ran in two phases: the US–UK–USSR talks (August–September), followed by US–UK–China talks (late September–October). The American delegation was led by Under Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, the British by Sir Alexander Cadogan, the Soviet by Ambassador Andrei Gromyko, and the Chinese by Ambassador Wellington Koo.

The resulting "Proposals for the Establishment of a General International Organization" laid out the core architecture later adopted at San Francisco in 1945:

A General Assembly of all member states.
A Security Council with permanent and non-permanent members holding primary responsibility for international peace and security.
A Secretariat headed by a Secretary-General.
An Economic and Social Council and an International Court of Justice.
Provisions on the peaceful settlement of disputes and enforcement action, foreshadowing Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter.

Two major issues were left unresolved: the voting formula in the Security Council (the great-power veto) and the question of initial membership, particularly Soviet demands for seats for its constituent republics. These were settled at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, where the "Yalta formula" on the veto was agreed.

The proposals were published on 9 October 1944, debated publicly for several months, and served as the working draft at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco (25 April – 26 June 1945), which produced the UN Charter.

Frequently asked questions

Who participated in the Dumbarton Oaks Conference?

Delegations from the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China. Due to Soviet neutrality toward Japan, the talks were split into US–UK–USSR and US–UK–China phases.

What was left unresolved at Dumbarton Oaks?

The Security Council voting procedure (the great-power veto) and the scope of initial UN membership. Both were addressed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945.

How does Dumbarton Oaks relate to the UN Charter?

Its proposals, published on 9 October 1944, served as the working draft for the San Francisco Conference in 1945, which produced the final UN Charter.

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Timeline

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Research Dumbarton Oaks Conference like a delegate

Timeline

Research it like a delegate

Ask a follow-up about Dumbarton Oaks Conference

Frequently asked questions

Who participated in the Dumbarton Oaks Conference?

What was left unresolved at Dumbarton Oaks?

How does Dumbarton Oaks relate to the UN Charter?

Go deeper than the definition

Take Dumbarton Oaks Conference beyond the glossary

Frequently asked questions

Who participated in the Dumbarton Oaks Conference?

What was left unresolved at Dumbarton Oaks?

How does Dumbarton Oaks relate to the UN Charter?