Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Far East, Volume VIII

501.AA/7–346

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Southeast Asian Affairs (Landon)

[Washington,] July 10, 1946.

In the course of a conversation Mr. Bhakdi informed me that Mr. Konthi Suphamongkhon, personal representative of the Prime Minister of Siam, had gone to New York and informed Mr. Lie of the United Nations that the initial letter¹⁶ inquiring about membership in the United Nations should not be considered as an application,¹⁷ and that a later communication formally applying for membership would be sent from Bangkok. Mr. Bhakdi said that this was done partly because the Siamese had not intended that letter to be an application but an inquiry and feared that some member of the United Nations might question its validity; and partly because they feared that, as they had not yet brought the disputed areas question before the Security Council, the French would probably veto their membership. Mr. Bhakdi concluded that he feared that Siam would not be able to become a member of the United Nations for another year.

I asked Mr. Bhakdi why it was not possible for his Government to telegraph two communications to the United Nations—one submitting the question of the disputed areas before the Security Council accepting in advance all obligations of a peaceful settlement, and the other applying for membership formally in the United Nations. I said that it seemed to me that in this way it would be possible to bring officially before the United Nations both the question of the disputed areas and their request for membership before July 15.

Mr. Bhakdi asked whether the question of the disputed areas could be raised by telegram. I said that I could not speak with authority but it seemed to me that it could be done.

Mr. Bhakdi said that, as I knew, the Siamese Government was very anxious to do both of these things and that he would telegraph his Government immediately requesting that both matters be put before the United Nations formally by July 15.¹⁸

16. Of May 20.
17. In a letter of July 11, Konthi Suphamongkhon requested Arkady Alexandrovich Sobolev, Acting Secretary General, United Nations, to postpone submission of the letter of May 20 to the Membership Committee until he received further instructions from Bangkok; for text of the letter of July 11, see SC, 1st yr., 2nd series, Suppl. No. 4, p. 46.
18. The substance of this memorandum of conversation was sent to Bangkok in telegram 571, July 10, 6 p.m., which also authorized Mr. Stanton to urge the Siamese Government to expedite both communications to the United Nations by July 15. Mr. Stanton was also informed of the Department’s fear that the French would veto the Siamese application for membership if the question of the disputed areas were not submitted. (501.AA/7–1046) In telegram 800, July 12, 3 p.m., Bangkok reported information from the Siamese Foreign Office that the question of the disputed areas would be submitted to the United Nation and then application for membership would be made (501.AA/7–1246).