Office of the Historian

501/7–146

The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Bevin) to the Secretary of State 96

[Paris,] July 1, 1946.

Dear James: I have recently been considering the question of the admission of new members to the United Nations Organisation which has been the subject of some discussion between the representatives of our two governments on the Security Council.

I feel very strongly that we should if possible adopt a common policy towards this question and I am in any case opposed to it forming the subject of discussion between the representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council since I believe this would be likely to lead to some rather confused political bargaining.

I suggest that our governments should agree to tell the governments of Sweden, Portugal, Iceland and Eire that we should be prepared to support their candidature at the next Assembly if they put it forward. We have ourselves been approached by the government of Afghanistan and Trans-Jordan on this subject and are already committed to support [Page 404] them if they apply for membership. We should be very glad if you felt you could do the same.

I do not think that Switzerland is worth approaching at present in view of her special position in regard to neutrality and I feel that Nepal, the Yemen, Tibet and Muscat need not be considered for the time being. I think we can also leave over Siam for the present as her candidature does not come up until the 15th July and there may by then have been some new developments in her frontier dispute with France. I suggest finally that our attitude towards Albania should be decided at the last moment before her candidature comes up.

As regards Italy, Austria and other ex-enemy states, I have myself very grave doubts about encouraging their candidatures this year since I feel that any attempt to go outside the Potsdam Agreement would only expose us to reproaches from the U.S.S.R., which would in any case veto such application.

I should very much like to speak to you about all this sometime tomorrow and will get into touch with you with a view to arranging a suitable time. As you know, time is short, as applications have to be in by July 15th.97

Yours sincerely,

Ernest Bevin
  1. Apparently written before Mr. Bevin was informed of the approach directed to him by this Government through the Foreign Office; see footnote 95, above.↩
  2. See telegram 3271, Delsec 660, July 3, 3 p.m., from Paris, p. 407.↩