Office of the Historian

USP Files, Lot 59 D 237, “Membership General IV (Beg. 1951)”

Memorandum by the Deputy Director of the Office of United Nations Economic and Social Affairs (Green) to Mr. David H. Popper of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs1

[Washington,] March 12, 1951.

[Subject:] Review of Membership Question.

Confirming my suggestion at the UNA Staff Meeting last week, I should like to propose that the Bureau take a new look at the whole problem of membership and associate membership in international organizations, which has been somewhat neglected over the past year because of our preoccupation with the question of Chinese representation. It would be advisable, I believe, to establish a small working party—representing UND, UNE, UNP, and UNI—to analyze the Department’s past policies in this field and to prepare recommendations for the future, to be discussed later with the regional bureaus. I am nominating Mr. Tomlinson2 to serve on this working body.

Some of the problems which merit review are the following:

1. Participation of Japan and Western Germany in International Meetings.

FE and GER are constantly bringing pressure on UNA, often with rather flimsy arguments about the sovereign powers of the two countries, to arrange for participation of Japan and Western Germany in various international organizations and conferences. So far as Japan is concerned, the basic information has been assembled in the attached despatch No. 1163, dated March 1, 1951, from Tokyo.3

2. Participation of the Three States of Indo-China in International Organizations.

UNA is frequently caught in the cross-fire between EUR and FE on this problem.

3. Associate Membership for Non-Self-Governing Territories.

This problem continually arises, and is usually solved on a purely ad hoc basis. A small working body, with Paul Taylor4 as the steering member, started a memorandum reviewing this problem, but did not. I believe, complete it.

4. Future Role of the French in Regional Organizations.

The assimilation of Martinque, Guadeloupe, and French Guinea [Guiana] as Departments of Metropolitan France has already created [Page 302] a number of problems with regard to regional organizations in the Western hemisphere. The same type of problem will arise in other regions if the French continue this policy.

5. Future Membership of the United Nations.

It would be desirable for the working group to look once more at the Department’s policy toward the admission of the Soviet satellites (I have always been strongly opposed to the EUR line on this) and other candidates for membership in the United Nations. It would also be desirable to list the non-self-governing territories which are advancing toward independence and eventual membership in the United Nations and to see what will happen to the voting balance in the United Nations if the present tendency toward fragmentation of empires continues.

  1. Transmitted to the Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs (Hickerson) March 15.↩
  2. John D. Tomlinson, Adviser, Office of United Nations Economic and Social Affairs.↩
  3. Not found in Department of State files.↩
  4. Paul B. Taylor of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs.↩