Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume VI

357.AA/9–1550: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Mission at the United Nations ¹

secret

Washington, September 16, 1950—4 p. m.

283. Reurtel 542² info from Indo Emb here confirms that Chinese contemplating veto Indo membership application. Dept requests Austin³ discuss with Tsiang earliest opportunity and, if Tsiang confirms that Chi considering such action, object to any such course in strongest terms. Tsiang must understand (a) the merits of Indo membership in UN must not become involved in unrelated questions of interest to Chi Gov; (b) such Chi action wld be strongly and generally condemned throughout UN;⁴ (c) resulting embarrassment to US wld cause immediate review US attitude toward Chi Gov. Unless Tsiang can provide categoric assurances Austin shld inform him that immediate representations will be made in Taipei and that Tsiang shld take into account pending receipt further instructions that Chi veto on Indo application is totally unacceptable to US and wld cause serious complications.

Webb

1. Repeated to Djakarta as 276 and to The Hague as 333.
2. Not printed; it reported that the Chinese Representative Tsiang had indicated that he would veto the Indonesian application for United Nations membership unless the Indonesians promised to abstain on all motions to seat the Chinese Communists. (357.AA/9–1950)
3. Warren R. Austin, United States Permanent Representative at the United Nations.
4. At this point in the source text the following phrase had been deleted before transmission: “and wld make it impossible for US to continue support of Chi Govt position on delicate and difficult representation problem.”