320/8–150

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom 1

confidential

No. 33

The Secretary of State refers to the Department’s telegram No. 4660 of December 30, 1949 and the subsequent exchange of communications [Page 472] between the Department and the Embassy regarding the desirability of holding discussions between representatives of the United Kingdom Government and of the United States Government on dependent area problems.2 The discussions were held in Washington from July 5 through July 7, 1950.3

There is enclosed for the information of the Embassy one copy of summary minutes of the discussions prepared by one of the Departmental officers who was present.4 There are also enclosed copies of the summary minutes of the discussions on the same subject held with French representatives from July 11 through July 13,5 and with the Belgian representatives from July 17 through July 18.6

The Department believes that the talks successfully fulfilled their purpose in that they provided an opportunity for a frank and friendly exchange of views on a wide range of subjects in the colonial field. While the discussions indicated that there was not an identity of views on all topics, the Department considers that substantial progress was made in narrowing the divergencies between the points of view of this Government and the other governments participating in the discussions, and hopes that this progress will be reflected in the forthcoming sessions of the Special and Fourth Committees of the Assembly. It also hopes that another result of the discussions will [Page 473] be the participation in the work of the Special and Fourth Committees on the part of the United Kingdom, France and Belgium in a more positive manner than has been the case in the past. The United Kingdom delegates to the talks, in particular, seemed to appreciate the advantages which would accrue from the adoption of a more positive policy of cooperation with the Special and Fourth Committees.7

[Here follows brief instruction regarding the forthcoming meeting of the Special Committee on Information Transmitted Under Article 73(e) and the autumn meeting of the fifth session of the General Assembly.]

  1. This instruction was repeated mutatis mutandis to Paris (No. 66) and Brussels (No. 11).
  2. The United States group was led by the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson) and the Director of the Office of Dependent Area Affairs (Gerig). The Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Rusk), the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Perkins), and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (Hare) were present at the first meeting with the British group on July 5, and the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs (McGhee) attended the first meeting with the French group on July 11. Also present at various of the meetings with all three groups (British, French, and Belgian) were the Messrs. Allen (EUR), Berry (ANE), Bourgerie (ANE), Cyr (ANE), Dreier (AR), Jackson (BNA), Jones (UND), Kopper (ANE), O’Shaughnessy (WE), O’Sullivan (PSA), Raynor (EUR), Tate (L), and Winfree (WE) and the Misses Bacon (FE), McNutt (FE), and Tibbetts (from the Embassy in the United Kingdom).
  3. The British group was led by the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Oliver Franks, and Sir Derick Hoyer Millar, Minister at the British Embassy; they were supported by a team of seven advisers (Messrs. Cotton, Martin, Cohen, Galsworthy, Meade, Laskey, and Thompson). There were six meetings between the United States and United Kingdom groups.
  4. These informal United States minutes are not printed; they are located in the master files of the Reference and Documents Section of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State (the IO Files).
  5. The French group was led by the French Ambassador to the United States, M. Henri Bonnet, and M. Henri Laurentie, Alternate French Representative in the Trusteeship Council. They were advised by MM. Monod, Naudy, Damey, and van Laethem. There were five meetings. The minutes are not printed and are located in the IO Files.
  6. The Belgian group was headed by Belgian Ambassador to the United States Baron Silvercruys, who was assisted by MM. Nisot, Harford, Ryckmans, DuPont, and Grosjean. There were four meetings. The minutes are not printed and are located in the IO Files.
  7. In a memorandum written to the Under Secretary of State (Webb) on July 7, on the completion of the meetings with the United Kingdom group, the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson) was somewhat more explicit:

    “Although no specific commitments were taken and no formal agreements attempted, the talks led to some very positive results. We explained that we did not feel that a rigid and non-cooperative attitude in United Nations bodies on the part of administering authorities would have useful results but on the contrary would drive the majority of Members into taking more extreme positions, thus widening the gulf between colonial and non-colonial powers. The British Delegation, led by Ambassador Franks, informed us that they have decided to follow a different tactic in the United Nations by taking a positive initiative in the Special Committee instead of withdrawing from it, as they had earlier intimated they might do. In effect, they have decided to follow our line of being more generally cooperative, generous in participation and discussion, and less sensitive to unjustified criticism.” (700.021/7–750)

    The British decision to undertake a new approach to Special Committee, Fourth Committee, and General Assembly handling of dependent areas affairs was announced rather suddenly at the third meeting between the American and British groups, held on July 6 (minutes, July 6, 11 a. m., IO Files). The British Government made a public statement on the matter, in communicating a White Paper to the British Parliament on September 14 (Cmd. 8035: … Memorandum on Proceedings Relating to Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories).