501.BB/8–2746

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Deputy Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs (Ross)

Subject: Plans and Preparations of Senator Austin for the General Assembly Meeting

Senator Austin telephoned from Vermont with regard to his personal plans and preparation for the General Assembly meeting in New York to ask if we had any information on the likelihood of postponement of this meeting. The Senator’s original plan was to come to Washington for a period of intensive work the day after Labor Day. He still wanted to spend about the same amount of time in intensive preparation before the Assembly meeting but in view of reported uncertainties about the date of the meeting he was at a loss as to how to plan his schedule. He asked if we would try to find out something about this and let him know promptly. I told the Senator that we [Page 36] would certainly inform him as promptly as we get any information ourselves; meanwhile, the only information we have is that Mr. Lie had sent Assistant Secretary General Sobolev to Paris to discuss this matter with the Foreign Ministers.58

[Here follows discussion of travel arrangements.]

  1. A decision was made on September 8 by the Foreign Ministers at Paris that the General Assembly session would be postponed from September 23 to October 23; for documentation, see vol. iii, pp. 313321, 364370, 383390, and 398404, passim. Regarding a first postponement (made in July) of the General Assembly meeting from September 3 to September 23, see Department of State Bulletin, August 4, 1946, pp. 220 and 221.