501/12–1147

Memorandum by President Truman to the Acting Secretary of State

I read with a lot of interest your memorandum of the tenth in regard to the Philippine situation.

It seems to me that if our Delegation to the United Nations is to be interfered with by members of the United States Senate and by pressure groups in this country we will be helping the United Nations down the road to failure.

The conversation between the President of the Philippines and our Ambassador is most interesting.

I have a report from Haiti, in which it is stated that our Consul in Haiti approached the President of that country and suggested to him that for his own good he should order the vote of his country changed, claiming that he had instructions from me to make such a statement to the President of Haiti. As you very well know, I refused to make statements to any country on the subject of its vote in the United Nations.

It is perfectly apparent that pressure groups will succeed in putting the United Nations out of business if this sort of thing is continued and I am very anxious that it be stopped.

H[arry] S. T[ruman]