Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume VI

501.AA/2–2849

Memorandum of Conversation, Drafted by Mr. Robert M. McClintock

confidential

[Washington,] February 28, 1949.

Subject: Admission of Israel into the United Nations.

Participants:	Mr. Bromley, First Secretary, British Embassy.
	Mr. Kaynor—EUR
	Mr. Rockwell—NE
	Mr. McClintock—UNA

I¹ invited Mr. Bromley of the British Embassy to call on the afternoon of February 25 to receive the Department’s oral response to the memorandum which the British Embassy had left with the Department² on the preceding day regarding the admission of Israel into the United Nations. I explained to Mr. Bromley that we did not feel it necessary to make a written reply to his Embassy’s memorandum.

The views expressed in the United Kingdom memorandum had been given careful consideration in the Department and it was generally felt that it would be wiser to let the application of Israel for admission to the United Nations be considered alone and on its own merits in the Security Council, rather than to attempt to link the Israeli application with those of Transjordan and Ceylon. We thought that Russian vetos of the latter two applications were almost a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, should the membership issue be broadened it would probably be necessary for this Government again to advance the claims of Italy. A probable result would be that the whole membership question would be reopened, with the USSR insisting on admission of Outer Mongolia, Albania, Hungary, Roumania, and Bulgaria. With respect to the last three countries, as Mr. Bromley knew, we were contemplating action with regard to their violation of treaty obligations for the maintenance of human rights. Accordingly, to go over the same acrimonious debate involving all these countries and instigate a very probable attempt by Secretary General Lie to arrange a deal whereby all applicants would be admitted, whether good, bad, or indifferent, seemed scarcely worth the qualms which the British Foreign Office expressed with regard to the admission of Israel.

Furthermore, it seemed apparent that, whether or not the United Kingdom should vote adversely on the procedural question of reconsidering the Israeli application, the Security Council would in any event vote favorably on that application. A list of probable affirmative votes indicated that perhaps nine of the Members of the Security Council would vote for the Israeli application, with only Egypt and the United Kingdom possibly abstaining.

Mr. Bromley took careful notes of the conversation and said he would report it to London.

1. It is not clear from the record copy of this memorandum whether the “I” refers to Mr. McClintock or to G. Hayden Raynor, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of European Affairs.
2. Memorandum No. 412/11/49 is not printed. It was dated February 23 and was handed to Messrs. Hare and McClintock by Mr. Bromley on February 24. (501.AA/2–2349)