Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Near East and Africa, Volume V

501.BC Greece/7–2147: Telegram

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

confidential
us urgent

Washington, July 23, 1947—3 p. m.

324. Re question as to whether Commission and Subsidiary Group remain in existence after possible veto of US resolution and SC rejection of USSR resolution (urtel 667 July 21¹).

In the Dept’s view, unless the Council calls upon the Commission or the Subsidiary Group to assume further tasks, both should be dissolved when the Council takes final action with respect to the Commission’s report.

The US may introduce or support further proposals in the Council in the event of a veto of the present US resolution which would involve continued consideration by the Council of the Commission’s Report. Thus, in the Dept’s view, final action will not necessarily have been taken by the Council when it votes on the present US and USSR resolutions.

The exact nature of the proposals the US may introduce or support in the event of a veto and whether such proposals will involve continued consideration of the Commission’s Report will not be finally determined until a veto has actually occurred.

If there is a veto of the US resolution, the Dept hopes that a brief interval can be obtained in the Council’s proceedings before it undertakes consideration of the USSR resolution. During such an interval, the Dept could determine what further Council action on the Greek case is desirable. This would enable the US representative to act, immediately upon the Council’s rejection of the USSR resolution, to initiate further action by the Council which might either involve further tasks for the Commission and the Subsidiary Group or which might involve agreement as to their dissolution.²

A memorandum setting forth some arguments with respect to the existence of the Commission and the Subsidiary Group has been sent by courier to Harding Bancroft’s attention. Additional argumentation will be forwarded as quickly as possible.

Marshall

1. Not printed. The Soviet Representative at the United Nations, on July 8, had introduced a draft resolution in the Security Council, which called the Greek authorities responsible for the frontier incidents, described the internal situation in Greece as the main factor in the tense situation in the northern frontier regions of Greece and ascribed to foreign interference in the internal affairs of Greece a considerable degree of responsibility for the existing situation in Greece. For Ambassador Gromyko’s remarks and the text of his draft resolution, see SC, 2nd yr., No. 55, pp. 1232, 1254.
2. Nine of the eleven members of the Security Council approved the United States resolution on July 29. The resolution was defeated, however, by a Soviet veto; see SC, 2nd yr., No. 66, p. 1612. Ambassador Johnson’s motion for immediate adjournment was carried (telegram 695, July 29, 4:55 p. m., from New York, 501.BC Greece/7–2947).

   The Soviet resolution was defeated on August 4 by 9 votes to 2, only the Soviet Union and Poland voting affirmatively; see SC, 2nd yr., No. 69, p. 1730.