IO Files: US/S/301, also US/SEC/60
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Acting Deputy Secretary-General of the United States Mission at the United Nations (Power)
| Participants: | Mr. Andrew W. Cordier, Executive Assistant to the Secretary-General, United Nations Secretariat |
| Thomas F. Power, Jr., United States Mission |
I called Mr. Cordier to inquire whether he had any information regarding the status of the Czech credentials for Mr. Papanek or the newly appointed representative, Houdek.
Mr. Cordier told me that Mr. Papanek had called on him this morning, and Mr. Cordier had then called Papanek to ask whether he cared to see Mr. Houdek at the United Nations or at his office. Houdek had previously agreed that he did not want to create any scenes or crises vis-à-vis Papanek. Papaiiek said he did not want to see Mr. Houdek and added that from his point of view he wanted to keep the record straight to the effect that he had been accredited by Beneš and Masaryk and would relinquish his post only on orders signed by Beneš. However, Papanek said he did wish to avoid embarrassment. It was agreed that the two gentlemen would not meet today or tomorrow (March 15 or 16), and during that time Houdek would not attempt to go to the Czech Delegation Office.
The official United Nations view on the credentials is that Houdek is the accredited Czech representative. Mr. Cordier explained that the Secretary-General must assume that the Czechoslovak Chargé1 in Washington is in touch with Prague and speaks authoritatively, and therefore, when he wired that Houdek was replacing Papanek, the Secretary-General had to accept that wire as a temporary accreditation.
Mr. Cordier said that, with the agreement of the Secretary-General, he was personally keeping in touch with the situation. He said he would keep us informed of developments.
- Josef Hanc.↩