Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, General; The United Nations, Volume I

501.BC/5–147: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)

secret
us urgent

Washington, May 1, 1947—8 p.m.

198. Believe further efforts reach agreement principles covered MSC report¹ should be handled political level accordance Deptel 185 April 25.² Strongly oppose return MSC proposed London telegram 2497 April 30.³ Believe return would delay progress implementation Article 43 without serving useful purpose. Agree report represents progress but oppose glossing over failure reach agreement important principles. Inform UKDel. Repeated London as [1898.]

Marshall

1. For text of the report of the Military Staff Committee to the Security Council, April 30, 1947, see United Nations, Official Records of the Security Council, Second Year, Special Supplement No. 1 (hereafter cited as SC, 2nd yr., Special Suppl. No. 1), or Department of State Bulletin, August 3, 1947, Supplement, “Arming the United Nations,” pp. 247–273. The report, submitted pursuant to the Security Council directive of February 13 (see footnote 3, p. 446), was entitled “General Principles Governing the Organization of the Armed Forces Made Available to the Security Council by Member Nations of the United Nations.” It consisted of the report itself and two annexes: Annex A, “Positions of the Delegations of the Military Staff Committee on the Articles of the General Principles Governing the Organization of Armed Forces on Which the Military Staff Committee Has Not Reached Unanimity,” and Annex B, “General Comments by the French Delegation.”
2. Ante, p. 464.
3. In telegram 2497, April 30, the Embassy in the United Kingdom had reported the following: “Foreign Office informs us British press being urged to take line that Military Staff Committee report represents progress and not to stress failure to reach full agreement. British hope press will agree that like with CFM meetings progress is reported even though complete agreement impossible and that good will result from public airing Staff Committee report and recommittal for further study.” (841.20/4–3047)