# Was the US offered 3 votes at the UN?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 6, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890 "2007-01-06T01:50:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890/1 "2007-01-06T01:50:59Z")

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When the UN was founded Joseph Stalin demanded that each Soviet Socialist Republic be given it’s own seat (since they were sovereign states _on paper_) in addition to the USSR’s seat. The US countered with a demand that each of the 48 states be given it’s own seat too. Eventually Stalin compromised and agreed to the Ukranian and Byelorussian SSRs each having their own seats in addition to the Soviet Union’s seat. Was the USA also offered the chance to give two states their own membership at the UN?

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890/2 "2007-01-06T02:58:40Z")

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The Philippines were a U.S. commonwealth when they were admitted to the U.N. in 1945. They weren’t considered independent until July 1946.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890/3 "2007-01-06T03:43:10Z")

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India was also a non-sovereign founding member of the UN.

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-us-offered-3-votes-at-the-un/386890/4 "2007-01-06T10:54:03Z")

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To expand on this, the British dominions, i.e. countries which had been given almost full self-administration, including the right to maintain their own forces and to determine their own foreign policy while staying closely tied to Britain, were granted UN membership on their own. This had some tradition, as British dominions had also held their own membership to the League of Nations before. In 1945, New Zealand, India, Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan in 1947, joined the UN with full membership rights, including votes, although they had dominion status. This constellation was one of Stalin’s main argument for demanding additional votes for Soviet republics.