Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The Near East and Africa, Volume VIII

890D.01/7–545

Memorandum of Conversation Held at San Francisco, June 24, 1945⁴²

San Francisco, June 24, 1945

Mr. Paul-Boncour called on Mr. Stettinius

Also present: Mr. Dunn, Mr. Hickerson, Mr. George Allen, Mr. Hyde43

Mr. Paul-Boncour and Mr. De jean⁴⁴ called on the Secretary this morning and presented the attached Aide-Mémoire⁴⁵ in regard to the problem of the Levant. Mr. Paul-Boncour said that he had received this morning a cable from his Government instructing him to present to Mr. Stettinius, as Chairman of the United Nations Conference, the proposal of the French Government that the Executive Committee of the newly established Preparatory Commission be asked to appoint a commission of representatives of three neutral and wholly disinterested governments which might, presumably in consultation with British, French, United States and perhaps Syrian representatives, make a thorough investigation on the spot of the difficulties which have arisen in the Levant, and prepare a recommendation for their solution.

Mr. Paul-Boncour said that his Government realized that this was not a problem with which the San Francisco Conference itself might properly deal and it had therefore not presented its proposal until the conclusion of the Conference. The French Government felt, however, that since the British Government had just rejected its proposal for Five-Power consultation on this question, it had no recourse but to refer it to the body which seemed to be the only interim organ of the United Nations pending the final establishment of the organization itself.

Mr. Paul-Boncour added that his Government felt it of special importance that the difficulties in the Levant be settled as soon as possible as they were jeopardizing the good relations between the French and British to which the French Government attaches so much importance. With this fact in view, Mr. Paul-Boncour added that he had before coming to Mr. Stettinius first presented his Government’s proposal to Lord Halifax who seemed to receive it favorably. Mr. Paul-Boncour’s instructions from Paris, moreover, mentioned that the proposal had already been placed before the British Government which also seemed to receive it with sympathy.

Mr. Stettinius replied that he realized of course the serious nature of the difficulties in the Levant and the importance of settling them as rapidly as possible. He was convinced, however, that the Preparatory Commission and its Executive Committee established by this conference are not the proper bodies to deal with this problem. They were set up for specific purposes of a wholly different character, that is, to make the administrative arrangements in connection with the establishment of the new organization and the opening sessions of its various organs. The Preparatory Commission and its Executive Committee would have absolutely no power to deal with political or diplomatic matters of this sort and to refer to them such matters would be to change completely the concept under which they were established. Furthermore, Mr. Stettinius added, the United States representative on these bodies would not be charged with the authority for dealing with matters of this sort and would not be able to act upon them. This was a matter, Mr. Stettinius felt, which should be taken up with him as Secretary of State after his return to Washington, and in regard to which consultations should continue among the foreign offices of France, the United States and Great Britain.

Mr. Paul-Boncour argued the matter at some length but, upon being informed that Mr. Stettinius’ decision on this point was final, agreed that he would recommend to his Government that the matter be taken up in Washington in the normal way.

In conclusion, however, he pointed out the very grave results which he felt might occur if during the interval which will elapse before the final establishment of the international organization there exists no regular international machinery for dealing with the many troublesome problems which are certain to arise during the coming months. Mr. Stettinius replied that this Government is fully alive to this problem, that it is giving thought to the necessity of the establishment of some regular means of consultation at a high level among the Big Five and that it may have a proposal to make along these lines before very long.

42. Memorandum is unsigned.
43. James Clement Dunn, Assistant Secretary of State; John D. Hickerson, Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs; George V. Allen, Deputy Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs; and Louis Kepler Hyde, Jr., Assistant to the Secretary of State. Messrs. Dunn and Hickerson were advisers to the United States delegation at the United Nations Conference on International Organization; Mr. Allen was Political and Liaison Officer of the delegation; and Mr. Hyde was Assistant to the Chairman of the delegation (Stettinius).
44. Maurice Dejean, Director General of Political Affairs in the French Foreign Office and Assistant Delegate of France at the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
45. Supra.