Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

501.AA/6–2249: Telegram

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

secret

Washington, June 22, 1949—7 p. m.

330. Dept has considered Sov membership proposal and believes it definitely propaganda move.¹ Dept’s position unchanged since cannot favor applications of Alb and Bui as long as these states render assistance to guerrillas in Greece; since cannot favor application of Rum, Hung, and Bul in view of treaty human rights violations and our action initiated with respect thereto; and since we are not in possession of any convincing evidence that Outer Mongolia is in any sense an independent state. Therefore, if necessary to vote on over-all Soviet res, you shd vote against above applicants unless such vote would constitute a veto, in which case you shd abstain.

Dept believes Sov propaganda move can be effectively countered SC by statement along following lines:

(1) Stress our advocacy of striving toward objective of universality of membership, meaning by this universality of qualified states.

(2) U.S. would be very pleased vote for admission of applicants it now opposes if these states give evidence of being qualified.

(3) Addressing ourselves to Sov Rep, state that we are glad to see USSR has apparently withdrawn its objections to the admission of several states which the GA and majority in this Council have long deemed qualified for membership. We shd like to believe this signifies that USSR is now prepared to settle memb question on basis of Charter. But we cannot overlook fact that Sov res calls for admission of five applicants which GA and maj in this Council have consistently found to be not qualified for membership. The Sov Union, if it wishes to settle memb problem on basis of Charter, is in position to encourage some applicants to take steps to qualify themselves. USSR not without influence in gov’ts of Albania, Bulgaria, Rum, and Hung. Sov Union cd use its influence to end that Alb and Bui cease rendering assistance to guerrillas in Greece. It cd also use its influence to end that Rum, Hung, and Bul take steps to comply with treaty provisions on human rights. In this connection, you cd add Sov Union itself in peculiar position to contribute solution this question as present stage treaty implementation is stage in which heads of Sov Union, UK and US missions in these countries shd consider the dispute and Sov Gov’t has declined to permit its chiefs-of-mission to participate this conciliation machinery.

(4) Suggest you again include reference to Korea in your statement.

(5) US has open mind, but needs to be satisfied these states are qualified. We, accordingly, suggest deferring action on all pending resolutions until just before Sept GA so that account may be taken of any developments in the intervening period which would throw further light on the qualification for membership, under Article 4, of Alb, Bulg, MPR, Hung and Rum.

Pls discuss above in your discretion with UK, Fr and other SC Reps.

Acheson

1. At the June 21 meeting of the Security Council the Soviet Representative (Tsarapkin) had submitted a resolution providing for favorable action on the following applicants and in the order named: Albania, the Mongolian Peoples Republic, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Jordan [Trans-Jordan], Austria, and Ceylon (SC, 4th yr., No. 31, p. 12). This included all pending applicants except the Republic of Korea and Nepal. At the same meeting the United States Representative (Austin) moved, as a procedural matter, “that the action of the Security Council on this [Soviet] draft resolution, S/1340, be taken up by separate consideration and a separate vote taken on the different applications made by the countries named in the draft resolution, so that each member of the Security Council may reflect the attitude of his country on each applicant” (ibid., p. 20).

   In this particular case Departmental consideration meant the formulation of a position by the “Membership Team” (Minutes of the Membership Team, June 22, 1949, 501.AA/6–2749). This group consisted of about eight persons, representative of the Office of United Nations Affairs and the several geographic offices. Highest-level approval was made by Dean Rusk, at this time Deputy Under-Secretary of State (for political affairs). The specific memorandum recommending the despatch of this telegram to New York was sent by Sandifer to Rusk on June 22 (IO/UNP Files, Lot 59D237, Box 7210, Folder “Membership”).