Office of the Historian

501.AA/7–847: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in China

secret
Washington, July 8, 1947—3 p.m.

834. Please discuss promptly exploratory basis with FonOff UN membership question with objective and emphasis ascertaining Chinese thinking on this difficult question. Infotels giving background on Dept and Brit views being sent you.

In addition to five old applications of Portugal, Eire, Transjordan, Albania, and Mongolian People’s Republic, there are three recently received applications from Italy, Austria, and Hungary. Additionally, [Page 243] applications from Bulgaria, Rumania and Finland are expected and possibly Burma will apply.

We are especially interested in Chinese views re MPR. Are recent events as for example the border clash or Soviet attitude on Dairen, etc. apt to affect China’s attitude toward admission MPR? We should be interested in grounds on which China would support or oppose MPR application. As indicated in reference infotels, we do not favor on the merits admission MPR though for your info only our present thinking is we may abstain from voting unless China opposes admission.

Info given re US position on other specific applications should be confined to statement that we favor applications of Eire, Portugal, Transjordan, Italy, and Austria, and of Finland and Burma, if recd, and that we oppose Albania.

In your discussion you should indicate our present thinking is that applications should be discussed in SC Membership Committee1 one by one on their merits and that we are not now thinking of proposing blanket arrangement covering all or some applications such as we unsuccessfully attempted last year. From your discussions please report your impression of Chinese thinking re blanket arrangement.

  1. At a meeting on July 8, the Security Council undertook to re-examine the applications for membership in the United Nations of Albania, Outer Mongolia, Transjordan, Eire, and Portugal, in pursuance of the recommendation of the General Assembly in its resolution of November 19, 1946. At the same meeting the Security Council instructed its Committee on the Admission of New Members to examine the matter and to present a report by August 10. (United Nations, Official Records of the Security Council, Second Year, pp. 1229–1232; hereafter cited as SC, 2nd Year)↩