740.00119 Council/7–346: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received July 3—10:37 a.m.]
3271. Delsec 660. Mr. Bevin has just told me the British Govt expects, through their representatives in the respective capitals, to inform the Govts of Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, and Eire that the British will support their candidacy for membership in the United Nations. The British do not expect to take any action whatever with regard to the membership of any other nations to the organization at this time but will await later events or the meeting of the Assembly before taking any attitude with regard to the other nations. He said applications must be made before the 15th of July and he considered this notification of support to the four above-mentioned nations as an encouragement to their presenting their candidacy. He hoped that the United States would take a similar action.
I told Mr. Bevin that I would pass this on to you and suggest that if you saw no reason to the contrary you might take similar action.
Mr. Bevin said the British Govt were not taking this matter up with any other members of the Security Council at this time but were [Page 408] confining their action to notifying the govts concerned as he did not see much point in starting a discussion among the members of the Council of this subject at the present time. I personally agree with him on this point.98
- Telephoned to New York on July 3 and then repeated to New York in telegram 128, July 3, 8 p.m., with the instruction that “We feel in view this information and your talk with Gromyko nothing will be gained by further talks in New York at this time.” (501.BC/7–346)↩