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

IO Files: USGA/Ia/Del. Min./Exec/12 (Chr)

Minutes of the Meeting of the United States Delegation (Executive Session), Held at London, Claridge’s Hotel, February 5, 1946, 9:30 a.m.

London, February 5, 1946, 9:30 a.m.

secret

[Here follow list of names of persons (17) present, and Delegation discussion of previous items on the agenda.]

Court Slate

Mr. Walker said that the United States slate of fifteen judges had been discussed with representatives of the United Kingdom and the USSR and that there was general agreement on twelve candidates on our slates. He said the USSR did not agree with our candidates from Venezuela, Greece, or Argentina but that they had not yet given us three substitute names. He thought the USSR might ultimately agree to Podesta Costa of Argentina, but they wanted very much to have a candidate from Mexico instead of Venezuela and might prefer to have four Latin American judges in order to get a Mexican member. He said that the United Kingdom wanted to replace Brazil with El Salvador and probably substitute Greece for South Africa although they would not insist on the latter change. He said the United Kingdom preferred a judge from India instead of Poland and wanted a Moslem.

Mr. Pasvolsky observed that the USSR had been making a strong political play for support of Mexico. He said that the representative from Mexico in the Security Council the previous night was one of the United States’ “worst enemies”. Mr. Dulles said that Mexico was “playing” less and less with the United States and more and more with the USSR. Senator Vandenberg said that Parra Perez of Venezuela was the best man on the United States list of candidates.⁹⁸

[Here follows discussion of other items on the agenda.]

98. For General Assembly proceedings regarding the election by the Assembly of the judges of the International Court on February 6, see GA(I/1), Plenary, pp. 340 ff.