310.2/10–754
Memorandum by the United Nations Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Bacon), to the Acting Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (McClurkin)
- Subject:
- India’s Views on UN Membership for Japan
In his speech in the general debate in the General Assembly the Indian delegate, Krishna Menon made the following statement concerning Japan:
“Another fact which I am instructed by my Government to refer to is that of Japan. We hope that very soon, and with the utmost speed, a peace treaty between the Soviet Union and Japan will emerge and that Japan will take its place in this Assembly. This is a matter of concern to us as an Asiatic country and we believe that if Japan took its place as a free and equal member of the United Nations it would be a contribution to the stability of Asia and would prevent certain problems that have already begun to rear their heads from coming up here. It would also be a contribution to the greater universality of the United Nations itself.”
Comment: It is to be noted that apparently Menon conditions Japan’s admission to the UN upon the prior conclusion of a treaty of peace between the USSR and Japan. He thus essentially sustains the Soviet point of view while ostensibly urging Japan’s admission. This equivocal position is in line with the proposal which he recently made to the U.S. Delegation that we support a membership procedure which would curcumvent the veto but would involve a U.S.–USSR understanding concerning which candidacies would be acceptable. He suggested that Japan would be excluded for the present.