Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

310.2/6–2950

Memorandum by Miss Ruth Bacon, United Nations Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, to the Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (Freeman)

secret

[Washington,] June 29, 1950.

The North Korean attack on the Republic of Korea and the policy concerning Formosa set forth by the President in his statement of June 27¹ necessitate a reappraisal of the situation concerning Chinese representation in the UN.

1. The North Korean attack will in all probability serve as a deterrent upon some states which have given indications of veering toward seating the Chinese Communist representatives.

2. The President’s statement by placing the US in the position of protecting Formosa and giving orders to the Chinese Government as well as by questioning China’s title to the sole remaining territory of any importance under National Government control has weakened the practical basis for our insistence that China is a great power entitled to a veto. Logically, the President’s statement would appear to pave the way for our unseating the National Government representative though not for our supporting the seating of the Chinese Communist representative. A vacancy on the Security Council would, however, create legal complications.

3. Tuesday’s vote in the Security Council on the question of enforcement measures in the Korean situation showed that we possess no margin of dependable votes on this question. If a National Government representative had not been on the Security Council on Tuesday, the necessary seven votes would apparently not have been available and the resolution would have failed. Of course, it may be argued that India and Egypt, realizing that the resolution would pass without their votes, felt under less pressure to support the resolution.

Under existing circumstances need for a dependable majority in the Security Council would appear to be the overriding consideration. Accordingly, it is suggested that we should inform other friendly powers that for the present we believe that any change in Chinese representation would be undesirable; and that UNA and the other geographic Bureaus should be so informed so that immediate steps in this direction may be taken.

It is understood—subject to final confirmation—that the British will probably not vote against the National Government representatives at the ECOSOC meeting on July 3. The above proposal would ensure that if the British are in any doubt on this matter the doubt should be resolved in favor of continuing the present Chinese representation. EUR—Mr. Raynor concurs in this suggestion.

We should also, of course, explain to our Mission in New York and to friendly UN members the intent of the President’s statement on Formosa along the lines of the Department’s telegram no. 512 to Taipei, June 28.²

1. For documentation regarding this subject, see vol. vii, p. 202.
2. Not printed.