Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, General; the United Nations, Volume I

501.AA/7–146

Memorandum of Conversation, by G. Hayden Raynor, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews)

confidential

[Washington,] July 1, 1946.

Participants:	The Swedish Minister
	Mr. Hugh Cumming, NOE
	Mr. Hayden Raynor, EUR

The Swedish Minister called this afternoon at his request to discuss the question of a possible Swedish application for membership in the United Nations.

The Minister handed to us the attached excerpts from instructions he had received by mail from Stockholm. He requested answers from us on the three questions listed in the first attachment hereto.

We informed the Minister that the answer to question No. 1 was Yes categorically.

We also informed him that our answer to question No. 2 was Yes. He then developed a thought behind question 2 further following the suggestion in the other excerpt of his instructions and inquired what our position would be if a situation developed in which a motion was made to postpone consideration of all membership applications. We informed the Minister that while we could not tell in advance what position we would take under such a contingency, we hoped that such a situation would not arise.

In answer to question No. 3 we told the Minister that in our view an application received after July 15 could be considered. We added that such an application would, of course, receive our support.

During the course of the conversation we indicated that our objective was to see as many eligible states as desired admitted to the United Nations this year. Also we told the Minister that we were strongly in favor of Sweden’s candidacy and would support it actively. We urged the Minister to recommend to his Government that should they desire to apply the application be filed with the Secretary General of the United Nations prior to July 15.

The Minister read to us a telegram he had received from the Swedish Minister in Paris indicating that the Swedes had made similar inquiry of the French Government. The French had replied favorably on questions 1 and 2 and reserved their opinion on question 3. Although the Minister did not admit it, it seems clear that the Swedes have directed the same inquiry to all of the permanent members on the Council.

Before leaving the Swedish Minister smiling broadly and in a light vein, but with evident underlying sincerity, stated that he understood application No. 1 had been received from Albania, application No. 2 from Siam, application No. 3 from the Mongolian People’s Republic and that it was suggested that application No. 4 should be from Sweden.

[Annex 1]

Questions, Orally and Informally Made by the Swedish Minister, on July 1

Question No. 1: Is the Government of the United States prepared, through its delegates in the Security Council and in the General Assembly of 1946, to vote for the approval of a Swedish application for membership in the United Nations?

Question No. 2: Is the Government of the United States, in case of an affirmative answer to question No. 1, willing to support a Swedish application for membership, without making its attitude dependent upon a positive decision with regard to applications for membership from other nations?

Question No. 3: Could a Swedish application for membership be taken up for consideration and be expected to receive the support of the Government of the United States, even if submitted after July 15?

[Annex 2]

When making a decision regarding application for membership in the United Nations, the Swedish Government, for its guidance, would like to know what attitude the permanent members of the Security Council could be expected to take if Sweden should make such an application. In this respect it must be taken into special consideration that one or more of the members having veto right, although being prepared to vote for Sweden’s admission, might combine this question with the admission of one or more other nations. It might thus happen that a member combines the approval of a Swedish application with the admission of another country whose application has caused difference of opinion. Thereby, the result might be, for instance, that all applications are postponed for the time being, although none of the members, as to matter, is opposed to Sweden’s membership.