Office of the Historian

35. Memorandum of Conversation0

Washington, September 25, 1962.

SUBJECT

  • Current SEATO Problems

PARTICIPANTS

  • Mr. Pote Sarasin, Secretary General of SEATO
  • FE—Gov. W. Averell Harriman, Assistant Secretary
  • FE/PM—Mr. Henry G. Krause, Jr.

In the course of a call on Governor Harriman on September 25 Pote Sarasin stated his intention to bring before the SEATO Ministers at the forthcoming luncheon in New York1 two issues which he believes to be of urgency and importance:

1)
Revision of SEATO voting procedures;
2)
The matter of Pote’s successor as Secretary General.

Governor Harriman remarked that, although we see no special need for a change in SEATO’s voting procedures, we could accept a formula similar to the Australian proposal submitted early this year, which would permit decisions to be taken even though one or more members abstain from voting within a specified time limit.

With respect to Pote’s successor Governor Harriman stated that we do not consider it desirable to discuss this issue in New York, as there is ample time to reach agreement before the 1963 Council Meeting. He intimated that he personally considered Pote Sarasin the best qualified person. After a thoughtful pause Pote replied that he has been in office for five years—much too long, and dropped the subject.

As for a prospective date for the 1963 Council Meeting, Pote stated that he had just conferred with Mohammed Ali, who has agreed to accept April as a suitable time, thus bringing Pakistan into general accord with the other member nations on this issue. According to Pote, Mohammed Ali also agreed to tolerate the discussion of SEATO business at the New York luncheon, although he still insists that it not be referred to as a meeting.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 379/9–2562. Confidential. Drafted by Krause on September 27 and approved by Harriman on October 4.↩
  2. See Document 37.↩