CA files, lot 59 D 110, “Chinese Representation at UN, 1954”
Memorandum by the United Nations Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Bacon), to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson)
- Subj: Proposed New Policy Concerning U.S. Participation in International Meetings with Chinese Communists.
The attached draft memorandum to the Secretary, prepared in UNA,1 is occasioned by a recent Cabinet decision that this Government should accredit an official delegation to the 10th World Poultry Congress to which the Chinese Communists had been invited. UNA has been unable to learn whether this Cabinet decision was a fully considered decision to alter present policies of non-attendance at meetings with the Chinese Communists.
In its present form the memorandum lists only arguments in favor of a change in the present policy. If the memorandum is to be approved it should include arguments on the other side as well. For example, a change in our policy of non-attendance might in itself increase the number of invitations extended to the Chinese Communists, might be interpreted as an indication that we are accommodating ourselves to the idea of working with the Chinese Communists, and might [Page 765] encourage some states to negotiate more freely with the Chinese Communists. While the meetings referred to in the draft memorandum are of comparatively minor importance, the question may arise of our attendance at meetings of considerable substantive significance such as a conference on peaceful uses of atomic energy or on certain aspects of the disarmament question.
The qualification in the recommendation that accreditation should be limited to conferences in which it can be shown that the national interest would be served is not clear. It is difficult to see what meeting would be excluded if the Poultry Congress involves the national interest. I am told that the second part of that same qualification referring to “special considerations arising from the conference in question” is intended to cover the possibility of Communist sponsorship.
The recommendation might then be rephrased somewhat as follows: “That although we should avoid appearing to make a general practice of sending official U.S. Delegations to international conferences attended by representatives of Communist regimes which we do not recognize, existing policy should be applied with sufficient flexibility to authorize the accreditation of official U.S. Delegations provided (a) it can be shown that official U.S. participation will result in substantial benefit to this country’s interest and there are no special considerations arising from the meeting in question which would make such participation politically undesirable, and (b) (as before).”
- Not attached.↩