Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The British Commonwealth, Western and Central Europe, Volume V

852.00/2–246: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant ) to the Secretary of State

secret

London , February 2, 1946—11 a.m.
[Received 11:23 a.m.]

1272. For the Secretary from Cohen.¹² You will recall you told Bidault¹³ you would discuss Spanish situation with him on his return to London. Do you wish any of us here to speak with him while he is here or would you prefer to have Bonnet discuss situation with you in Washington or to have Caffery talk with Bidault at Paris?¹⁴ If you desire discussions to take place here, please cable instructions as to the general lines you wish to be followed.

Bohlen¹⁵ and I had a talk with Negrin at his request. He strongly urged that a statement should emerge from the Assembly meeting either from the Assembly itself or from some agreement among the great powers. He thought such a statement necessary to prevent growing impression that statements made at San Francisco and at Potsdam are not to be taken seriously.¹⁶ He advocated the adoption by great powers of a common policy indicative of their desire to see restoration of democratic government in Spain. But he suggested that each government might determine for itself the particular measures which it would take to carry out this common policy. He thought, for example, that France might be prepared to break relations with Franco while the US and Great Britain might take other steps such as the appointment of a political agent to maintain contact with the government in exile. [Cohen.]

Winant

12. Benjamin V. Cohen, Counselor of the Department of State; Senior Adviser, U.S. delegation, First Part of First Session of the General Assembly, United Nations, London.
13. Georges Bidault, French Minister for Foreign Affairs; Head of French delegation, First Session of the General Assembly, United Nations, London.
14. Secretary Byrnes in reply stated in his telegram 1256, February 6, 1946, that he preferred to talk with French Ambassador Henri Bonnet in Washington rather than have U.S. Ambassador Jefferson Caffery discuss the matter with Mr. Bidault in Paris (862.00/2–246).
15. Charles E. Bohlen, Assistant to the Secretary of State. Mr. Bohlen was present at the General Assembly during the period that Secretary Byrnes was in attendance, January 8–25, 1946.

16. This view was urged upon the United States delegation by Mr. Cohen at an executive session of the delegation on February 6 in which it was determined that the delegation would support a resolution on Spain introduced by the delegation from Panama (10 Files, document USGA/Ia/Del. Min./Exec/13 (Chr), “Minutes of Meeting of the United States Delegation … London, Claridge’s Hotel, Febrary 6, 1946, 9:30 a.m.”). The Panamanian resolution, slightly modified by a Norwegian amendment, was adopted by the General Assembly on February 9 (Resolution 32 (I) as follows:

    1. The General Assembly recalls that the San Francisco Conference adopted a resolution according to which paragraph 2 of Article 4 of chapter II of the United Nations Charter “cannot apply to States whose regimes have been installed with the help of armed forces of countries which have fought against the United Nations so long as these regimes are in power.”

    2. The General Assembly recalls that at the Potsdam Conference the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the Soviet Union stated that they would not support a request for admission to the United Nations of the present Spanish Government “which having been founded with the support of the Axis powers, in view of its origins, its nature, its record and its close association with the aggressor States, does not possess the necessary qualifications to justify its admission.”

    3. The General Assembly, in endorsing these two statements, recommends that the Members of the United Nations should act in accordance with the letter and the spirit of these statements in the conduct of their future relations with Spain. (United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, First Session, First Part, Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during the First Part of the First Session, p. 39.)