The original 5 UN Security Council members with veto power:

US
USSR
United Kingdom
Nationalist China
France

Nationalist (pre-communist) China was a wild card and could not always be trusted. The United Kingdom could almost always be trusted (England was a problem with France during the 1956 Suez crisis). The USSR was the enemy and could never be trusted. US/England wanted an assurred majority of veto capable Security Council members because it gave them a moral advantage when the USSR did exercise its veto. There needed to be a third country that could always(?) be counted on. At the time France was a client state dependent upon the US and England for reconstruction aid, security, etc. France also (in theory) had a moral obligation to the US and England for its liberation from the Nazis. This "liberation" was really more theoretical than real since many French welcomed the Nazis with open arms and collaborated during the occupation. Of course, as soon as France got back on its feet, it adopted an independent foreign policy (again the Suez crisis) and later pulled out of the military wing of NATO. It's regretable that Poland and Czechoslovakia were within the Soviet occupation zone. One of those countries would have better served on the Security Council.

The UN like NATO has probably out lived its usefulness. I'd like to see the AngloSaxon nations (US, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada) form the core group of a new international security organization to replace UN/NATO. Other nations (Japan, Turkey, Mexico, European Union, New Zealand, etc.) could be invited to become associates to this alliance but not have as much clout as the core nations.

Gary