740.0011EW/5–2947
Memorandum by the Special Assistant (McClintock) to the Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs (Rusk) to the Assistant Chief of the Division of Southern European Affairs (Dowling)
Subject: Selection of Governor for the Free Territory of Trieste
Ambassador Herschel Johnson on a visit to the Department last week-end expressed pessimism over the continued impasse in the Security Council, or at least among the Big 5 Members of the Security Council, in selecting a Governor for Trieste. His most recent suggestion was that possibly we should re-examine the field in Sweden with a view to finding, some suitable candidate. It is requested accordingly that Mr. Cumming (NOE)1 give us the benefit of his views in this respect.
It has occurred to Officers of SPA that if the stalemate continues we may be forced to consider a Governor recruited from one of the Big 5. Since for obvious reasons a Soviet Governor would not be acceptable to the Anglo-Saxon side, nor would a British or American Governor possibly be taken by the Soviet side, a candidate could only be [Page 80] found from the citizens of France or China. It is possible that Mr. Reber (WE) may have some views as to a possible French candidate. It seems doubtful if a Chinese Governor would prove acceptable to either the Yugoslav or Italian Governments.
I suggested to Ambassador Johnson recently in New York that possibly the American Red Cross if approached from a high level might assist us in suggesting a suitable candidate since the International Red Cross through its experience in handling emergencies and international projects may have a roster of capable administrators whose names have not come to our attention.
As a final suggestion I would put forward the request that names of suitable Dutch citizens again be considered, despite the fact that it seems possible that Moscow would not look with favor on a Governor who is a citizen of the Netherlands.
- Hugh Smith Cumming, Jr., Office of Northern European Affairs.↩