501.BB/11–246
The Counselor of the Department (Cohen) to the Acting United States Representative at the United Nations (Johnson)
Dear Herschel: I enclose a copy of a letter I am sending today to Senator Austin, together with copies of the enclosures referred to therein.
As you know, the proposed draft rules result from long and careful consideration of the problem of the “veto”. You will note that there has been considerable redrafting and that certain of the rules and alternatives discussed in the paper on “Technical Aspects of Proposals for Liberalized Interpretation of Four Power Statement and Article 27”, have been left out of this paper. This was done in the belief that the three rules which are submitted constitute the basis on which we should begin negotiations with the other permanent members of the Security Council and in the Committee of Experts. In this connection, I should say that while the Department feels very strongly that it is essential to obtain eventual agreement on the substance of these three rules, it does not regard the form and language as fixed and binding.
We regard the successful adoption by the Council of rules of this nature as the primary objective to be sought from the consideration of the “veto” question in the present session of the General Assembly. The Department is fully aware that the attainment of this objective will be difficult and may take considerable time. We regard certainty as much more important than speed. We do, however, want to have the Committee of Experts begin considerations of our proposals before the General Assembly has completed its discussion of the “veto”.
I believe that it should be possible to begin discussions within the Committee of Experts a week or ten days after these proposals have first been submitted to the other permanent members of the Security Council. Will you, therefore, keep in touch with Senator Austin with a view to your asking Sir Alexander Cadogan to call a meeting of the Committee of Experts as soon as it appears appropriate, and to [Page 320] ask the Committee to examine these proposals thoroughly and with as much dispatch as is consistent with accuracy and thoroughness.
Sincerely yours,