<P> The foregoing declaration may be adhered to by other nations which are, or which may be, rendering material assistance and contributions in the struggle for victory over Hitlerism . </P> <P> During the war, "the United Nations" became the official term for the Allies . To join, countries had to sign the Declaration and declare war on the Axis . </P> <P> The UN was formulated and negotiated among the delegations from the Allied Big Four (the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and China) at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944 . After months of planning, the UN Conference on International Organization opened in San Francisco, 25 April 1945, attended by 50 governments and a number of non-governmental organizations involved in drafting the UN Charter . "The heads of the delegations of the sponsoring countries took turns as chairman of the plenary meetings: Anthony Eden, of Britain, Edward Stettinius, of the United States, T.V. Soong, of China, and Vyacheslav Molotov, of the Soviet Union . At the later meetings, Lord Halifax deputized for Mister Eden, Wellington Koo for T.V. Soong, and Mister Gromyko for Mister Molotov ." The UN officially came into existence 24 October 1945, upon ratification of the Charter by the five permanent members of the Security Council--France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the UK and the U.S.--and by a majority of the other 46 signatories . </P> <P> The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, and the Security Council took place in London beginning 10 January 1946 . The General Assembly selected New York City as the site for the headquarters of the UN, and the facility was completed in 1952 . Its site--like UN headquarters buildings in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi--is designated as international territory . The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Trygve Lie, was elected as the first UN Secretary - General . </P>

What was the purpose of the united nations after ww2