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

501.BB/8–2747: Telegram

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

secret

Washington , August 27, 1947—6 p.m.

379. Dept suggests you take following position re Lie¹ proposal for Big Five meeting Friday to discuss GA slates:

1. Suggest you tell Lie we feel meeting at this time may be somewhat early in view lack of info on composition of delegations. You should make clear US reserves its freedom to consult with other members; does not wish to make a binding agreement as feels Big Five should not present other UN members with a fait accompli on slates; and regards meeting as chiefly exploratory and informational.

2. On substance of Soviet proposal, Dept feels you should oppose strongly Poland (Modzelewski²) for GA President. This could be based on principle competency should determine and names sufficient chief delegates not yet known to make selection. In your discretion, you could hint that among chief delegates already named are persons of greater competence. (For your background we have in mind persons such as Spaak³ or Aranha,⁴ if available, and Evatt.⁵) Dept feels you should oppose Masaryk⁶ for Committee 1 Chairmanship on basis an Eastern European state should not hold chairmanship Committee 1 for two consecutive sessions. We feel allocation of four places on General Committee to Eastern European states inequitable, since it gives six of 55 members four of fourteen seats on Committee, and in first Assembly only held three places. You should point out clearly London record indicates no commitments made re distribution 2nd GA posts (Deptel 188, April 28, to USUN).⁷ While Gromyko endeavored to get Big Five agreement to Poland as President second session, no commitment was made except an expression of willingness to consider Poland’s candidacy on merits at second session.

3. In line with US position at London, Dept will continue to support allocation to Eastern group of three posts General Committee to be divided this session as follows: two vice-presidents (USSR and probably Byelorussia), and one committee chairman (preferably Czechoslovakia). Would also agree to one committee vice-chairmanship and one rapporteurship. US has not reached any decision re GA committee slates, though you may, in your discretion, indicate we might support Masaryk for chairman Committee 2 or 3.

4. Dept would oppose candidacy Ukraine for SC. You may state, in your discretion, US considering Czechoslovakia for SC and Poland for ECOSOC.

Lovett

1. Trygve Lie Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. Zygmunt Modzelewski, Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs.
3. Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
4. Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian diplomat, President of the Genteral Assembly at the First Special Session of the General Assembly in April and May 1947.
5. Herbert V. Evatt, Australian Minister for External Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.
6. Jan Masaryk, Czech Minister for Foreign Affairs.
7. Not printed. The “London record” presumably refers to the conversations held in London between the Five Powers at the first part of the First Session of the General Assembly, regarding election of slates, etc. For documentation regarding these matters, see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. i, pp. 117–250 passim.