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

350/2–1351

Memorandum of Two Telephone Conversations, by the Officer in Charge of Trusteeship Affairs (Cargo)

restricted

Washington , February 13, 1951.

Subject: Question of Italian Voting in the Trusteeship Council

Participants:	Mr. Felice Catalano, Italian Embassy
	Mr. William Cargo, UND

Mr. Catalano telephoned on February 12 to say that he had been informed that Mr. Mascia was still pursuing in New York certain aspects of the question of Italian voting in the Trusteeship Council. In response to my inquiry, Mr. Catalano indicated that he was aware that the Department had sent views to Rome on this question and said that he was generally aware of the nature of those views. He said, however, he wished to inquire most informally what the attitude of the Department would be regarding the possible establishment by the Trusteeship Council of a “Commission of Study” on the question of Italian voting in the Council. (Such a Committee might prepare a report for the next session of the Council). He indicated that such a suggestion was in the effort to have at least something done in the Council on the question of the right of Italy to vote.

I expressed the personal view that it would be preferable not to have the question of a possible vote for Italy in the Trusteeship Council pursued at this time even in that form. I said, however, that I would bring his inquiry to the attention of other interested officers in the Department and communicate with him further on the subject as soon as possible.

After consulting with other officers of the Department concerned with this question, I called Mr. Catalano on February 13 to say that it was felt by the Department that the establishment of a Trusteeship Council Committee to study the question of Italian voting would not be a useful step. I said that we felt that the same difficulties would eventually arise as we foresaw in connection with possible proposals at the present time to raise in the Trusteeship Council the issue of a Charter amendment on the question of Italian voting. Mr. Catalano thanked me for giving him these views. He said that Mr. Mascia in New York would determine whether the possibility of a Council Committee should be pursued further and inquired whether our Delegation to the Trusteeship Council would be able to discuss this question with Mr. Mascia. I said that I felt sure that they would, and that we would inform the Delegation of the informal consideration of the question that had taken place here in Washington.