United Nations Charter
Representatives of 50 countries sign the United Nations Charter in San Francisco
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Original prompt & settings (JSON) ↗China was invited to sign first because it was regarded as the first country attacked by an Axis power. The ceremony took seven hours.
26 June 1945: 153 signatures
Representatives of the 50 countries attending the United Nations Conference on International Organization signed the Charter on 26 June 1945, in the Herbst Theatre auditorium of San Francisco's Veterans War Memorial Building. Blue-leather-bound Charter books lay on an eleven-foot round table backed by the silk flags of the 50 countries.
China signed first; after a seven-hour ceremony, 153 signatures had been placed on the documents. The signed instrument included the Statute of the International Court of Justice as an integral part of the Charter.
Adopted one day, signed the next
The conference had unanimously adopted the completed Charter and the ICJ Statute at the San Francisco Opera House on 25 June, making the documents ready for signature the following day.
President Harry S. Truman witnessed the United States delegation's signing and addressed the conference at its closing session.
Signed, but not yet in force
Signing did not bring the Charter into force. That occurred on 24 October 1945, after the required ratifications had been deposited.
Nor were all original members present: Poland's delegation was absent on 26 June and signed on 15 October, which is why the 50 signatories of that day became 51 original members.
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