IO Files: US/A/555
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. G. Hayden Raynor of the United States Delegation Staff of Advisers
I inquired of Mr. Cockram1 if he or the British Delegation had any idea as to how the present impasse with respect to the Security Council elections might be broken. He said their present thinking was that the matter should be allowed to simmer for the time being. His feeling is that as the support for the Ukraine is unprincipled support and has no quality of adhesiveness, it is likely to melt away as committee work progresses, assuming the Russians pursue their normally obnoxious practices in the various committees.
He told me the British were supporting Siam for the Trusteeship Council. He dodged the question as to whether they are supporting Norway and I suspect they may have voted for Costa Rica inasmuch as [Page 154] Mr. Hadow was advocating the Costa Rican case strongly about the lounge during the day. It therefore seems that this surprise move may have at least in part been engineered by Mr. Hadow.
Mr. Cockram indicated that the British remained firmly opposed to the candidacy of the Ukraine. They continue, as from the start, not to view as seriously as we have the question of the Eastern group losing its second seat. I also do not believe their opposition to the Ukraine is based so much on principle as ours is. Although it is in part attributable to that, it is more a matter of extreme dislike for Mr. Manuilsky. Mr. Cockram, for instance, referred to the travesty which would result if a State was elected to the Security Council, the foreign minister of which, who theoretically would be directing its policies on the Security Council, had been censored for partiality in Committee 1 last year by a vote of 45 to 6 as happened to Mr. Manuilsky.
The British confirm information received from various other sources that as late as 5 p.m. on Monday the Czechs and the Poles were letting it be known that Czech was the Eastern European candidate. In fact, the British say they had it in writing from the Russians at about 5 that afternoon and that around 7 Gromyko denied it and stated their candidate was the Ukraine.
The British have checked with the Indians and are convinced that the Indians have no question whatsoever of withdrawing. They seem to be not at all displeased to see that the Indians have maneuvered themselves in this Assembly, at least on this issue, into a position of opposition to the Soviet Union.
- B. Cockram, Adviser from the Commonwealth Relations Office and on the British Delegation Staff of Advisers.↩