501.BC/4–1647: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Representative at the United Nations (Austin)
160. For Austin. If action on Gromyko’s proposal for UN supervision of US aid program is not postponed as suggested in your last, statement in SC1 (clearly a procedural decision) it is essential that it be defeated. It is equally essential that US not exercise veto in this decision, but abstain. Therefore, you should assure yourself through consultations that proposal will not secure seven votes with US abstaining. Unless you are certain, Council discussion should be adjourned prior to a vote to permit further negotiation. To clarify record, in event President does not call for negative votes Dept suggests desirability of US registering its abstention in some way.2
Sent New York, repeated Geneva for Ethridge, Athens, Salonika, Belgrade, Sofia, London, Moscow for the Secretary.
- On April 10.↩
- The resolutions proposed by the United States and the Soviet Union were voted on by the Security Council on April 18. The former, establishing a Subsidiary Group, was adopted by a 9–0 vote, with Poland and the Soviet Union abstaining. The Soviet resolution was rejected by a 4–2 vote, with five abstentions. The United States was among the abstainers. For the texts of the resolutions and the action taken by the Council, see SC, 2nd yr., No. 37, pp. 799, 808.↩