# Canonical recap data for 1945 San Francisco Conference (1945)
# Source: https://recap.at/1945/san-francisco-conference-1945
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: san-francisco-conference-1945
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1945/san-francisco-conference-1945"
title: 1945 San Francisco Conference
aliases:
- UNCIO
- United Nations Conference on International Organization
- San Francisco Charter Conference
subtitle: Delegates from 50 nations convened to draft the UN Charter, establishing the post-war international order and creating the institutional framework for Cold War geopolitics.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1945-04-25
endDate: 1945-06-26
datePrecision: day
year: 1945
decade: 1940
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), commonly known as the San Francisco Conference, was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took place towards the end of World War II, from 25 April to 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, California, United States. At this convention, the de
summaryLong: The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), commonly known as the San Francisco Conference, was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took place towards the end of World War II, from 25 April to 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, California, United States. At this convention, the delegates reviewed and rewrote the Dumbarton Oaks agreements of the previous year. The convention resulted in the creation of the Charter of the United Nations, which was opened for signature on 26 June, the last day of the conference. The conference was held at various locations, primarily the War Memorial Opera House, with the Charter being signed on 26 June at the Herbst Theatre in the Veterans Building, part of the Civic Center. A square adjacent to the Civic Center, called "UN Plaza", commemorates the conference.
lede: Fifty nations gathered in San Francisco from April to June 1945 to draft the United Nations Charter, the foundational document for the organization that would replace the defunct League of Nations. With World War II still raging in the Pacific, delegates negotiated the rules for international governance, collective security, and dispute resolution that would shape the postwar world.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Exposition_Auditorium_%289615942845%29.jpg/1280px-Exposition_Auditorium_%289615942845%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Exposition Auditorium (9615942845)\" by Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/."
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Participating nations
  value: 50 countries
- label: Conference duration
  value: 63 days (April 25 – June 26, 1945)
- label: Charter signatories
  value: 50 nations signed the UN Charter
- label: Permanent Security Council members
  value: 5 (United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, China, France)
- label: General Assembly seats
  value: Established for all member nations with equal representation
- label: Primary venue
  value: War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
- label: UN Charter effective date
  value: October 24, 1945
timeline:
- date: 1945-04-25
  title: Conference opens
  description: Delegates from 50 Allied nations convene at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco to draft the UN Charter.
- date: 1945-05-07
  title: Germany surrenders
  description: Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending the war in Europe while the San Francisco Conference continues amid focus on containing Soviet expansion.
- date: 1945-05-08
  title: VE Day discussions
  description: Conference delegates address postwar European questions as the European theater formally closes, with attention turning to the ongoing Pacific War.
- date: 1945-06-07
  title: Veto power debate resolved
  description: Delegates finalize the Security Council structure, confirming the five permanent members' right to veto resolutions—a crucial Soviet demand.
- date: 1945-06-26
  title: Charter signed
  description: All 50 delegations sign the final UN Charter, establishing the framework for the United Nations organization.
- date: 1945-10-24
  title: UN Charter enters force
  description: The United Nations officially comes into being when the Charter reaches ratification threshold, making October 24 the UN's founding date.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Conference_on_International_Organization"
  title: 1945 UN San Francisco Conference
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The San Francisco Conference produced the UN Charter, establishing the first truly global governance framework with enforcement mechanisms and a permanent Security Council. It created institutional scaffolding that, however imperfectly, would structure international diplomacy, peacekeeping, and humanitarian response for decades.
categories:
- festival
- election
metaDescription: How 50 nations drafted the UN Charter in San Francisco, April-June 1945, reshaping global governance.
wikidataQid: Q1504861
peoplesVoice:
- source: Harry S. Truman, President of the United States
  voiceType: official
  context: Truman addressed the conference opening on April 25, 1945, five days after taking office following FDR's death.
  excerpt: If we do not want to die together in war, we must learn to live together in peace. This charter points the way.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 89
  attribution: Opening address to UNCIO, San Francisco Conference
  publishedAt: 1945-04-25
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Evatt H. V., Australian Foreign Minister and Conference Delegate
  voiceType: official
  context: Evatt fought for greater representation of smaller nations during negotiations in May 1945.
  excerpt: The great powers cannot be allowed to write the charter of human freedom without the voice of the smaller nations.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: Statement during UNCIO committee sessions
  publishedAt: 1945-05-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Walter Lippmann, Political Columnist and Analyst
  voiceType: media
  context: Lippmann observed the conference dynamics in late May 1945 as an influential observer of international affairs.
  excerpt: The test will not be the signatures on the parchment, but whether the victors of this war can agree when victory is won.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 76
  attribution: Syndicated column, May 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-05-28
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Molotov V. M., Soviet Foreign Commissar
  voiceType: official
  context: Molotov led the Soviet delegation and signaled Moscow's commitment to the organization before signing on June 26.
  excerpt: The Soviet Union will cooperate fully with all nations in this union of peoples. Only together can we prevent another fascism.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Soviet delegation statements, June 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-06-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dorothy Thompson, Journalist and Political Commentator
  voiceType: media
  context: Thompson wrote skeptically about the conference's ability to prevent future conflicts as it concluded in late June 1945.
  excerpt: The Charter is only words unless the great powers truly surrender some of their sovereignty. That surrender I have yet to see.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 71
  attribution: Newspaper column, June 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-06-25
  originalLanguage: en
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- diplomatic_summit
- treaty_signing
- peace_accord
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608153140/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Conference_on_International_Organization"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: 1945 UN San Francisco Conference
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Conference_on_International_Organization"
