795.00/12–1250
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Ward P. Allen, Adviser to the United States Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
US/A/C.1/2369
Subject: The 2 Resolutions on Korea Sponsored by Asian Delegations.
| Participants: | Mr. Gopala Menon, Indian Delegation |
| Ambassador Ernest A. Gross, United States Delegation | |
| Mr. Ward P. Allen, United States Delegation |
Mr. Menon reported that Sir B. N. Rau had not been able to contact the Chinese Communist Delegation Sunday or Monday (it was not entirely clear whether this was because of their refusal or because Sir Benegal had not tried). He hoped to be able to do so this afternoon (Tuesday) or tomorrow morning in order to obtain their reactions to the 13-power cease fire resolution.
Menon expressed the view that this first resolution would be useless and unproductive without the second resolution providing a mechanism for the peaceful settlement of existing issues and indicated he had previously understood that the U.S. and U.K. would not object strongly to the second idea provided it were not linked to the cease fire in one resolution. Ambassador Gross explained our objections to the second resolution as a concomitant. He pointed out that the psychological implication of establishing any special machinery at this time [Page 1526] was that a price was being paid on other issues in return for the cease fire. Ambassador Gross referred to the indeterminate terms of reference of the body to be set up as broadly including all “existing issues”. Menon sought to find analogy in the Kashmir and other disputes before the United Nations and we sought to make clear our view of the essential basic differences—that in the present case and in a very real sense the United Nations itself is the other party to the dispute and the aggressors are challenging and threatening to destroy it. There is thus, in effect, no umpire. Ambassador Gross expressed the belief that a mistaken effort to analogize this situation to an ordinary international dispute had colored too much the attitude of certain Delegations. Menon sought to argue that the fact that the United Nations was a party made it all the more desirable for the United Nations, in accordance with the spirit of the Charter, to manifest its willingness to settle the matter peacefully by referring to specific procedures. This was desirable, he felt, even though it was pointed out that the Charter provides sufficiently for procedures and organs and that all of the relevant issues with which the Chinese are concerned are currently before the Security Council and the General Assembly.
During the conversation Mr. Menon, although granting the logic of the arguments and recognizing the United States position as explained to him, seemed to remain basically unpersuaded to our point of view.