Towards the end of World War II[1], President Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a binding union of the world’s “big four” (the United States, the United Kingdom, China and the Soviet Union) to lead post-war order. To facilitate that goal, he organized The United Nations Conference on International Organization, known simply as the San Francisco Conference, and invited the 51 countries that had declared war on Germany and Japan. The San Francisco Conference was held from April 25 – June 26, 1945, culminating in the signing of the United Nations Charter. Mind you, at the time that this conference took place, the war in Europe had ended, but the US was still embroiled in its war with Japan and San Francisco was still under threat of attack.
The San Francisco Conference was the largest international gathering up to that point, with 850 delegates and their entourages descending upon the City. For the first time since the war began, San Franciscans felt hope and optimism after years of austere rationing of gas, tires, dairy and meat. Thousands of people gathered at the Southern Pacific train terminal at Third and Townsend to see the delegates arrive on special trains. Hotels were filled. Restaurants and shops thrived. And most importantly, jobs were suddenly available. It was a much needed boost to a beleaguered City economy.
Unfortunately, President Roosevelt, who was supposed to host the event, died two weeks before it began. Earl Warren, Governor of California, ended up giving the opening address. Committees and subcommittees were formed and daily meetings were convened in the War Memorial Opera House[2]. It took eight weeks of drafts and redrafts before a finalized Charter was written. It set out three goals: the establishment of international peace and security, the development of friendly relations among nations, and the achievement of international co-operation in solving problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian nature. Rumor has it that 78 tons of paper were used, with 135 translators working around the clock. But finally, on June 25th, the Charter was presented for a final vote. In a dramatic move, Lord Halifax of Britain asked that, instead of a show of hands, delegates who approved the Charter stand. When the entire audience rose to their feet, the Opera House erupted. The Charter was signed the following day.
President Harry Truman, who had not left Washington since suddenly becoming President, traveled to San Francisco to give the closing address. 500,000 people stood on the streets to greet him as his bulletproof Lincoln convertible made its way down Montgomery and up Market. In his speech Truman said, “You have won a victory against war itself….With this Charter the world can begin to look forward to the time when all worthy human beings may be permitted to live decently as free people….If we fail to use it, we shall betray all those who have died so that we might meet here in freedom and safety to create it.”
When the conference ended, the Army was secured with the task of transporting the seven pound Charter back to Washington DC. A safe was purchased and its handler would later say that the safe got a parachute: he did not.
The United Nations Plaza, which is located between Hyde, McAllister, Leavenworth and Market in the Civic Center, was built to commemorate the Conference. It would be another three months before the war with Japan ended, but the spirit of the City was revived with hope of a more peaceful and prosperous future.
[1] World War II: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4222
[2] War Memorial Opera House: story coming December 24th
