Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

310.393/6–151

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson)¹

secret

[Washington,] June 1, 1951.

Subject: Chinese Representation in the United Nations

Participants:	Mr. C. A. Gerald Meade, Counselor, British Embassy
	Mr. F. S. Tomlinson, Counselor, British Embassy
	Mr. John D. Hickerson, Assistant Secretary, UNA
	Mr. U. Alexis Johnson, Director, NA
	Mr. David H. Popper, Deputy Director, UNP

The British Embassy representatives informed us that they were instructed to state that the Foreign Minister greatly appreciated the message from the Secretary of State with regard to Chinese representation [Deptel 5480 to London May 25]² and that he shared our desire to avoid our differences in view. The British noted that the details of the reply from London, a summary of which they left with us (attached to this memorandum) dealt primarily with the situation in the Security Council. However, they understood that no Security Council meeting had yet been called by Mr. Malik, the President for the month of June, and that the procedure outlined by the British would therefore first become operative at the Trusteeship Council meeting June 5.

The British thereupon passed to Mr. Hickerson the statement of their new position, which in essence calls for the disposition of the Chinese representation question when raised in the Security Council through a procedural motion calling for simple postponement of discussion of the question and enjoying precedence under the Security Council Rules of Procedure over substantive motions. While the British could not agree to any mention in the motion of Chinese Communist aggression, they would have no objection to reference to that aggression in the statements made by the various representatives. If the United States agreed, the British would follow similar procedures in other competent United Nations bodies.

The British also read to us a draft statement which the Foreign Office had suggested that Sir Gladwyn Jebb³ might make when the issue arose in the Security Council. The statement took the line that “for a year now” the British had been steadily supporting the representation of the Chinese Communists in United Nations bodies since the United Kingdom had recognized the Communist regime as the government of China and still did so. However, the United Kingdom was compelled to take notice of the fact of Chinese Communist aggression and the refusal of the Chinese Communists to accept a settlement of the Korean dispute on honorable terms. Therefore, the United Kingdom representative would support a postponement of discussion of the representation question “for the time being”.

Mr. Hickerson suggested that the British might give consideration to omitting “for the time being”, since it might imply that the position was held only on a day-to-day basis. The British agreed that the omission of these words would be an improvement. Mr. Hickerson also suggested that the British consider the accuracy and the advisability of the reference to British support for Chinese Communist representation over a period of a year. The British said they would take this up with Sir Gladwyn Jebb.

The British representatives expressed the view that the change in the British position represented a concession of considerable importance to our views. Mr. Hickerson indicated that we fully appreciated the significance of the Foreign Minister’s reply. It would be very helpful to the Secretary and would, he felt, be helpful to the British in this country.

We raised with the British the question whether the change in attitude would cover action in Specialized Agencies, with special reference to the pending meeting of the Technical Transit Committee of the UPU.⁴ The British could not say; they agreed to seek London’s views on this point.⁵ However, they thought that the British line would probably be maintained at the forthcoming UNESCO General Conference.

It was agreed that Ambassador Gross⁶ would concert with Sir Gladwyn Jebb on the precise arrangements for dealing with this question.

John D. Hickerson

[Annex]

The British Embassy to the Department of State

Chinese Representation in the United Nations

In his message to Mr. Morrison, conveyed under cover of a letter from the United States Ambassador in London dated the 26th May, Mr. Acheson suggested that our two delegations to the United Nations should consult in advance to concert on procedures which both delegations could support for avoiding a vote on this issue. Mr. Acheson went on to suggest that the body concerned decides not to consider such a proposal so long as the aggression in Korea continues.

It is considered that as far as the Security Council is concerned the simplest form of motion to this effect would be a purely procedural one under rule 33 (5) of the Rules of Procedure to postpone discussion of the question for the time being. The motion should not, in our view, employ phraseology like “so long as the aggression in Korea continues”, so as to void subsequent attempts to define when the aggression or hostilities had actually ceased. If necessary members of the Security Council could always explain to the Council orally that the action was being taken because of Chinese aggression.

Mr. Morrison is prepared to authorise Sir Gladwyn Jebb to concert the necessary action on the above lines with his appropriate colleagues. Mr. Morrison does not however wish that the United Kingdom Delegation should take the initiative and he hopes that an appropriate motion will be introduced by the United States Delegation.

If the above procedure is adopted for use in the Security Council the United Kingdom Delegation would also follow it in other competent United Nations bodies such as the Trusteeship Council. In any other United Nations bodies where the Rules of Procedure are not strictly analogous the United Kingdom Delegation would be guided as far as possible by the same general considerations.

Washington , 1st June, 1951.

1. This memorandum of conversation was initialed by Mr. Hickerson as his, although it is drafted in the third person. No drafting information as such is indicated. In normal practice, Mr. Popper would have been the drafting officer.
2. Brackets in the source text.
3. Sir Gladwyn Jebb, Permanent British Representative to the United Nations.
4. Documentation in the Department of State central indexed file on this matter is located in file 390.10–UPU. The Technical Transit Committee was to convene at Pontresina, Switzerland on June 6, and the Chinese seating question would arise. The United States position was that the Committee, a subunit of the Universal Postal Union, should not even consider the Chinese representation issue but should follow the example of the UPU’s Executive and Liaison Committee and seat the Nationalist representative. This position was communicated on May 29 to the 7 diplomatic missions accredited to the concerned governments (Pretoria, Rome, Lima, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, The Hague, and Paris) in priority circular telegram 745, May 29, 11 p. m. (399.10–UPU/5–2951)

5. Subsequent to this meeting with the British Embassy officers, in priority niact telegram 193, June 4, 6 p.m., to the Consulate at Zurich, the Department of State undertook to inform Assistant Postmaster General Redding at Pontresina of the newly emerging British position, as follows:

   “UK has agreed support motions postpone discussion Chi representation issue in UN bodies. Although details not yet entirely clear, we assume this position also applies specialized agencies. USDel shld consult in advance with UKRep with view reaching agreed method for dealing with Chi representation issue either on postponement basis or preferably, if UK concurs, on basis that Comite shld not even consider Chi representation issue but shld follow action taken by Exec and Liaison Comite, standing organ UPU. Whatever arrangement is worked out you shld, of course, insist on seating Rep Chi Natl Govt.” (399.10–UPU/6–451)

6. Ernest A. Gross was Deputy United States Representative at the United Nations.